Festive surge in fruit, vegetable prices

KOLKATA: The two-day Saraswati Puja might have brought cheers to kids but those in charge of finances — along with those who manage household budgets — at community pujas are having a tough time keeping expenses in check. With prices of fruits and vegetables shooting through the roof at city markets, shoppers had a tough time picking and omitting items from their lists to stick to their spending limits.

Though prices picked on Saturday, fruits and vegetables had started burning a hole in the pocket over the last three days. Retail traders at different markets, like Lake Market, Gariahat Market and New Market, however, said the upward price revision had actually started about a fortnight back.



“It is normal during this time when last supplies of vegetables from the rabi season hit the market as winter ebbs. Prices of many fruits like cucumber, grapes and oranges, too, have risen about 20%-25% while some varieties of guavas have witnessed a 50% price spurt,” Sukhdeb Pramanik, a trader at Lake Market. “The seasonal factor apart, igniting the market further this year is that Saraswati Puja spans over two days, and that too on the weekend,” said Gariahat Market trader Monoranjan Saha.

Salt Lake couple Ranadip and Jayatee Mukherjee said, “We are used to a price rise while shopping for Saraswati Puja every year. But we have to continue with the puja at our home and we try to shop within our means. This year, prices of some fruits and vegetables are unusually high. For instance, pointed gourd (potol) is selling for Rs 250-Rs 300 a kg and okra for Rs 150 a kg. Oranges from Nagpur cost Rs 20 each. Some varieties of grapes cost Rs 150 a kg.” The couple was shopping at Bidhannagar Market.

Puja shoppers like Tollygunge Karunamoyee resident Abhirup Das, too, said he had been feeling the price pinch for the last three days. Amar Das, assistant secretary of Lake Market Traders’ Association, said, “For most of the year, our association has control over prices that traders charge customers. But we lose this control before every festival or puja. Producers themselves sell at higher prices before pujas and festivals. This has a spiralling effect on prices across the supply chain right till the retail market.”