CHENNAI: Water crisis has not spared even the vegetable market. One kg of beans, which sold at Rs 15-Rs 20 in the wholesale vegetable market at Koyambedu in April, now costs nearly Rs130. Except for onion, drumstick and potato, most of the commonly used vegetables are sold at 10 times their prices two months ago.

Koyambedu market vendors said though vegetables prices usually fluctuate during the marriage season (April to June), this is the first time that they haven’t dropped in two months. The number of lorries arriving at the market has also drastically reduced during this summer. 

“We used to get close to 400 lorries every day during summer. But only 200-250 come now. Customers hardly purchases more than one kg of any vegetable. Because of this, we are reducing our base prices by Rs 5- Rs 10 and don’t make much profit like before,” said M Abdul Khader, secretary,  Koyambedu Vegetable Vendors’ Association.

A vendor said three bunches of coriander sold at Rs 10 earlier, but now even one dried bunch cost Rs 20. “Customers have told me they use only two tomatoes for making ‘rasam’ now, instead of the usual four or five. But the quality of vegetables has gone down too. They are dry on arrival and have no taste when cooked,” added the vendor.

Scale of hotel	Expense of water in a month	Quantity needed
Small (100 seaters or less)-	Rs one- Rs two lakhs	12,000 litres a day
Medium (200 seaters)	Rs three-Rs four lakhs	35,000 litres a day
Large (party halls/star hotels)	Rs six lakhs and more	one lakh litres a day

Source: Chennai Hoteliers Association

Vegetable	Price in April (wholesale)	Price in June
Avarakkai	Rs 20	Rs 80-Rs 100
Tomato	Rs 25 for 3 kgs	Rs 40 for a kg
Green Chillies	Rs 20	Rs 80
Pavakkai	Rs 30	Rs 70
Beans	Rs 20-	Rs 130

Source: Koyambedu Vegetable Vendors’ association.