With spike in demand, ash gourd becomes cash machine for vendors

HYDERABAD:  With Bathukamma and Dasara Navrathri celebrations in full swing, the demand of ash gourd vegetable has hit the roof. Owing to the religious beliefs that hanging the vegetable during the festivities at one’s doorsteps would ward off evil, ash gourd has become a cash machine for vendors. 
On a Normal day, a medium sized ash gourd fetches between `50 and `60, but vendors in the city markets are now making a quick buck selling the same at a whopping price of `200 to `250 for a medium sized piece due to high demand.

A record arrival of 600 quintals of ash gourd was witnessed at the Bowenpally Market Yard here on Friday, which is almost 35 percent increase in the arrival registered the previous year. “The production of this vegetable has increased considerably over the year and most of the stock arrive from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh,” said a senior agriculture marketing officer. However, even after an increase in the production and supply, the prices are on the rise this year. “During Dasara last year we received close to 400 quintals of the vegetable and the price was also stable,” the official said. “While there is a hike in the retail price, farmers are paid only `6 per kg, which is not low and we are unable to get back our investment and labour,” said K Koteshwar Rao, a gourd farmer from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.

Rao on Thursday has supplied approximately 12 tons in a truck and the transportation costs him `14,000 from his place in Guntur.“We have to come here or go to Chennai for selling our produce, as there is no scope in AP,” he said, adding that he would not earn more than `5,000 in this trip after clearing all his debts. Only vendors are happy selling the gourds, while, both farmers and customers are not, Rao said.

Vegetable prices skyrocket
The price of orange pumpkins has skyrocketed and on Thursday. About 683 quintals of pumpkin arrived at the Bowenpally market A kilogram of lemon was sold at `50 and tomatoes are priced at `14-`16 per kg and least quality of tomatoes are sold at `2-`5 per kg