Drought causes Indian veg prices to double
In the city of Pune vegetables prices have steadily been increasing due to water shortages reducing…In the city of Pune vegetables prices have steadily been increasing due to water shortages reducing the area of cultivation and a recent dip in temperatures ceasing the supply. Compared to last year, the price of some vegetables has increased two-fold.
Records show that on December 30, 2014, the average price of a bundle of coriander at Pune APMC was Rs 3, while on December 30, 2015, it had shot up to Rs 12 per bundle. Similarly, prices of lime, raddish and fenugreek have witnessed manifold increase both in retail and wholesale. Price of a bundle of fenugreek on December 30, 2015, was Rs 5, which has shot up to Rs 10 in wholesale. Lime, which was priced at Rs 350 per gunny bag last year has shot up to Rs 700 this year.
Among vegetables, prices of cluster beans, green chillies, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, cabbage, brinjal, ivy gourd (tondli), etc. have seen a steady rise. Green chillies which had cost Rs 3,000 per quintal on December 30, 2014, had climbed up to Rs 4,000 per quintal on December 30, 2015.
A quintal of bottle gourd had cost Rs 2,000 on December 30, 2014, but went up to Rs 2,500 on December 30, 2015. Price of brinjal has also shot up from Rs 3,500 per quintal to Rs 5,000 during the same period. Price of ivy gourd, a staple Maharastrian diet, has climbed from Rs 3,000 per quintal to Rs 4,000. Tomato continues to remain dear, with prices showing no correction.
Shriram Gadve, President, Vegetable Growers Association of India, said that on average, the area of cultivation has gone down by 10-15 per cent. “Drought has taken a severe toll across the area and want of water has reduced the area of cultivation,” he said, adding that chances of price correction in the near future are slim.
