Vegetable Prices Skyrocket, No Respite For Consumers In Odisha

The prices of the seasonal vegetables were expected to come down post holy Kartika month, but it has shown no sign of easing.  Most of the veggies are now being sold above Rs 60 per kilo in the retail and wholesale markets across Odisha.

The traders said that due to an increase in vegetable consumption during the Kartika month, when many shun non-vegetarian food in the State, the prices of vegetables had skyrocketed.

However, as prices continue to remain the same even it’s already mid-November, when vegetables become cheaper, the traders have attributed the price hike to low supply due to continuous rains in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and other states which damaged crops in several farmlands.

As per reports, tomatoes are being sold at Rs 80 per kg, bitter gourd costs Rs 60 per kilo, beans and pointed gourd cost Rs 100 per kilo. Similarly, ridge gourd, brinjal and cowpea beans have touched Rs 80 per kilogram in the retail markets.

“As local supply is yet to come, the price of tomato has remained high but cauliflower and other seasonal vegetables have come down a little,” said a trader in Bhubaneswar.

“Even after Kartika month, the vegetable rates have remained high. Many vegetables are not even available in the market. Traders are saying that crops have been damaged due to unseasonal rain which is one of the reasons behind the skyrocketing prices,” said a consumer at a retail market in Balasore Town.