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'Lemon ₹850/kg, tomato ₹680/kg': Man compares India and Norway vegetable prices, asks 'are we failing our farmers?'
The man shared a video showing the prices of several vegetables at a Norwegian store and compared them with what consumers typically pay in Indian metros.
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An Indian living in Norway has sparked a discussion after highlighting the stark difference in vegetable prices between Norway and India. Taking to X, the man, identified as Vinod, shared a video showing the prices of several vegetables at a Norwegian store and compared them with what consumers typically pay in Indian metros.
“Even after living in Norway for years, it still surprises me every time I visit the butikk,” Vinod wrote in the caption of the post, before revealing the high prices of some vegetables, including lemons, tomatoes and cucumber.
“These are the daily prices of groceries: Organic lemon: ₹850/kg, tomato: ₹680/kg, cucumber: ₹300 each,” he shared.
The man then compared these prices with what he said are typical prices in Indian metros, where lemons can cost around ₹90 - ₹110 per kilogram, tomatoes ₹60 - ₹80 per kilogram and cucumbers ₹20 - ₹30 each, depending on quality.
“It’s 8 times cheaper than Norway, but salaries aren’t 8 times higher in Norway - not even close. Still, we complain as always,” he wrote.
However, rather than simply comparing the cost of groceries, Vinod used the difference to raise questions about whether Indian farmers receive a fair price for their produce. “It’s not about Norway’s cost structure, salaries, imports and so on… it just makes me wonder if we’re paying our farmers fair price, enough for their hard work in India,” he wrote, asking users whether India is “failing our farmers”.
(Also Read: Indian shares Norway taxi bill of ₹9,580: 'I've had much more affordable rides in India')
Social media reactions
The post quickly drew reactions, with users offering different explanations for the price gap and debating whether low retail prices necessarily benefit Indian consumers.
One user wrote, “Farmers don't get fair price, people in city pays more compared to the income. The only people earning are the middle man controlled by politicians by controlling the prices.”
“Price of any commodity is based on supply and demand. When 50% population is involved only in agriculture then you can never expect a good payout to them. Plus out of the remaining population only 5% has enough wealth to spend generously on daily food items,” commented another.
“Not an apples to apples comparison. The sheer over regulation of the agri sector in the EU has resulted in their produce being as close to “pure” as possible. The produce we get in India is utterly contaminated rubbish,” wrote a third user.
“I cannot respect you enough for putting forward such an important issue. I see hundreds of posts daily criticising vegetable prices in countries outside India by NRIs and praising India for such low prices, but no one cares to think that isn't it because we underpay our farmers. Same goes for people praising India for Blinkit and other similar rapid delivery services missing abroad, and the harsh reality is that we are exploiting our vulnerable class,” said another.
“Check per capita income of the country u mentioned and India. Also check how many are holding the top 1% of that income in those countries and how many in India, and then re-post it with authentic data,” commented one user.
