“Supply issues have settled as rains have ceased in the State and surrounding areas. The costs are high due to the shortage of labourers and the low second crop yield this time around. These are just the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that we are seeing now,” said P Sukumaran, treasurer, Koyambedu Wholesale Market Merchants’ Association. Fruit prices are also expected to follow a similar trend, he said.

Prices for particular vegetables have arisen and fallen over the course of the last month, settling now on a ten to fifteen per cent hike from typical prices. Certain vegetables like carrots have registered almost a 200 per cent increase in prices.

With the city and surrounding districts slowly opening up and the Koyambedu market still closed, some of the local vendors are expecting the reopening of the market soon, such that they may move there from the Thirumazhisai market.