Sharmili Mallick

At a time when the price of essential commodities, like edible oil and other items, have been rising continuously, the skyrocketing of vegetable prices have burnt a hole in the common man’s pocket.

Most of the vegetables are priced over Rs 50 per kg in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, setting the kitchen budget on fire for the residents in the Twin Cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

The price rise has been linked to the holy month of Kartik during which a sizeable chunk of the population will avoid consuming non-vegetarian foods and turn to veggies.

Besides, market insiders said that vegetable farming suffered huge damage due to recent rains followed by the flood-like situation in several parts of the State, eventually affecting the supply.

As per reports, pointed guard prices shot up to Rs 60 a kilogram (kg), while bitter guard is being sold at Rs 70 per kg, yam at Rs 60 per kg, brinjal at Rs 40 per kg and tomato at Rs 50 per kg. Similarly, onions are being priced at Rs 50 per kilogram while long beans at Rs 80 and beans at Rs 100 per kilo, respectively.

“Due to the unseasonal rains triggered by the multiple low-pressures in the Bay of Bengal, vegetable cultivation in many places of the State and outside has suffered extensive damage. It has hampered production as well the supply. This might be the reason behind the rise in vegetable prices,” said a retail vegetable trader in Cuttack.

“I don’t know how I will manage the kitchen budget. As the Kartik month will start from Thursday, we will rely on vegetables only and the rise in prices will definitely affect every Odia household,” said a consumer in the Millennium city.

Debendra Sahu, secretary of Chatrabazar Vegetable Market Association said, “The recent rains damaged vegetable crops in several parts of Odisha, including Bargarh, Angul, Keonjhar and Koraput due to which the supply has been badly affected. This has led to a rise in prices. Besides, we used to import vegetables from West Bengal, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. But supply was disrupted due to rain and the subsequent flood there,” Sahu added.

scrollToTop