Monsoon, hike in oil prices make vegetable prices go up

Ludhiana: In view of the ongoing monsoon across northern Indian, prices of widely consumed vegetables have started witnessing fluctuation and going out of reach of middle class families. One of major reason for this is the hike in prices of diesel and petrol, which have further impacted road transportation, making it more costly. Apart from that, heavy rainfall in several parts of Bihar and Maharashtra has disrupted the supply of vegetable from far-off locations into city markets through road transportation.
This monsoon season has adversely affected the prices of tomatoes as the prices have shot up to Rs 80 per kg. Even the prices of lemon and green peas, along with coriander, have increased to a great extent and it becomes difficult for middle class families to purchase it.
Vegetable vendors say that there is not easy availability of the vegetables in places where these are grown as heavy rains have damaged the vegetable crop and the scenario will not change much for about a month before the new crop grows.
“In between all this, the middlemen or agents are earning huge profits as they have started selling vegetables stored in the cold storage for the past many months,” they said. All this has made the residents, especially women who have to run the kitchen, upset.
Buying vegetables likes broccoli and yellow capsicum has become a dream for the people as they have shoot up to above Rs 100 per kg. During a survey of a vegetable market, it was found by TOI that price of green peas along with coriander and cucumber have gone out of bounds for middle class families.
Giving information on this, a vegetable vendor, Joginder Yadav, at the busiest vegetable market of the city, said, “Due to increase in prices of petrol and diesel in the past few days, road transportation has got costlier, which has resulted in an increase of 20-30% in vegetable prices as tomato has started selling above Rs 80 per kg since the beginning of July.
Speaking to another vegetable vendor, Ramu Sharma at Ghumar mandi, calmed that," at present prices of vegetables are not stable because this year most of the crops of Bihar, Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh have been damaged due to heavy rainfall and floods, up to next crop which will grown in winter season, the vegetable market face the problem of high prices of vegetables.
In the meantime, especially the women who have to run their kitchen are worried about the present prevailing conditions of market, Speaking on the same issue, Neetu Verma, told “this year brings lot of challenges for the middle class families as first ginger and garlic, lemon have disturbed the household budget and now the hike in tomato and green peas health vegetables are burning the pocket of common men”.“Center government should bring some policies in this direction to control the rate of the prices of everything related to middle class families”.
Anita rana, a home maker of Sarabha Nagar says that “at a time when most of people have lost their job after government enforcement of strict lockdown in view of outbreak of covid-19 pandemic in city and facing several difficulties in managing household expenses but on other hand hike in vegetables prices are broken their back bone and forced them to lead stressful life as there is no option to leave these vegetable in daily preparation of foods item, as of this, we are still purchasing it in small quantity and trying to managing household budge