Situation likely to ease in a fortnight according to officials.
Kitchen budgets went haywire as the prices of vegetables have become expensive. A kilo of tomatoes cost ₹54, while lady’s finger (benda kaya), Ivy gourd (dondakaya), brinjal etc are sold at prices not less than ₹40 a kg. Indian beans (Kanupu chikkullu) are available only if one is willing to shell out ₹70 a kg. Hybrid kanupu chikkullu is also sold at ₹60 a kg. So are the prices of onions. The Maharashtra variety onions are sold at ₹36 a kg while Kurnool variety onions are sold at ₹28 a kg. And, these prices are prevailing at Rythu Bazaars.
The french beans, capsicum and carrot, which are popularly called “English vegetables”, are beyond the reach of commoners. While carrots cost ₹58 or ₹42 a kg depending upon the variety, the capsicum cost ₹85 a kg. The French beans prices hover at ₹50 a kg.
Most of the leafy vegetables have nearly disappeared from Rythu Bazaars in the city. The city markets are reporting a shortage of green leafy vegetables, with most varieties except for varieties such as sorrel leaves and amaranthus doing a vanishing act. Spinach (palakura), Malabar spinach (bachali), fenugreek (menthi kura), spring onion, etc are also not seen in the markets. Curry leaves and coriander have become dearer. While a small bunch of coriander costs ₹20, curry leaves which were sold at just ₹3 to ₹5 till few days ago, now sold at a minimum price of ₹10.
The officials say that the arrivals have come down due to heavy rains in areas such as Madanapalle in Chittoor district where tomatoes are cultivated. Usually, about 2,500 crates (each crate weighs 26kg) arrive in Krishna district daily at Rythu Bazaars. It has come down to 2,000 crates.
According to Deputy Director (Marketing Department) Diwakar Rao the arrivals of tomatoes at Madanapalle market would be 1500 to 1600 metric tonnes per day. Now only 400 tonnes were arriving there due to rains. The situation is likely to ease in a fortnight, he opines.
The consumers would have to buy at much higher rates. The tomatoes are not sold less than ₹100 a kg in open markets and by the pushcarts vendors.
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