Vegetable prices in Gurgaon soar after rain

Prices of vegetables have shot up by 30-40% after the heavy rainfall in north India.

Vegetable prices are soaring as the supply is being affected because of heavy rainfall in north India. Prices of vegetables have shot up by 30-40%.

Gurgaon retailers say they are helpless about the rates as prices have shot up in wholesale markets such as Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi. (Parveen Kumar/HT File Photo)

More than relief, rain has brought distress to residents. Not only did it submerge and gridlock the city, and leave residents in the dark with erratic power supply, but it is also keeping vegetables such as ladies’ finger, brinjal, gourd, tomatoes, carrots and onions out of the plate.

“We thought that prices of at least seasonal vegetables will be normal. But even these are expensive. I bought a kilogram of gourd for Rs.50 from the local market. It was available for only Rs.20 last season,” Menu Kapur of Sector 57 said.

Suparna Dutta of Sector 30 said, “It is cheaper to buy dinner from a local restaurant than purchase a kilogram of cauliflower from the local store. They are selling it for Rs.120. At first, I thought the man is trying to loot me but after checking with other shops, I was shocked.”

The vegetable rates are at least Rs.20 to Rs.30 higher than last season. Ladies’ finger is sold at Rs.80 per kilogram, brinjal at Rs.70 and cucumber at Rs.65.

Arun Kumar, a vegetable seller in Sector 15, said, “The prices in the wholesale market have gone up as the trucks are not reaching on time. Vegetables are perishable and the delays are hampering the quality.”

A paper released by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, one of the apex industry bodies, on Tuesday said the manifold increase in vegetable prices is because of heavy rainfall.

“The prices in Delhi’s wholesale markets have gone up by 35% to 40% over a month. Traders at the Azadpur Mandi, Asia’s largest wholesale fruits and vegetables market, said crops are not coming out of fields due to stagnant water in fields, leading to shortage. Also, the weather department has predicted similar conditions for the next few days,” the paper said.

The agricultural department said the increase is seasonal and trucks are stranded because of waterlogging and road blockages in northern states.

“The trucks carrying vegetables are not able to reach their destination on time due to heavy rainfall. Even though supplies from Himachal Pradesh and other parts of the country have reached Delhi-NCR, traffic disruptions are creating hurdles for timely delivery,” Deen Mohammad, state agriculture officer (Haryana), said.