Generally vegetable prices shoot up from mid-October ahead of the Deepavali festive season, followed by Karthika and Dhanur months, coupled with the Sabarimala season. This year it has happened quite early in Chittoor district in spite of its substantial contribution to vegetable cultivation in the western mandals. The rise in prices is attributed to a sudden slump in production due to the heavy rains since July.
The prices of beans, brinjal, ladies’ fingers, radish and several gourds have nearly doubled in a week. Onions at ₹60 a kg seem to be reviving the last year’s bitter experience for consumers, while tomato at ₹25 a kg is proving tough on many.
The size and quality of onions in the markets is unsatisfactory despite the sudden jump in the price. The arrival of onion stocks from the production belt in Maharashtra has been hindered by heavy rains. The same is the case with regard to the Kurnool variety, which is said to have suffered rain damage too.
Eggs in demand
Meanwhile, the demand for eggs and chicken has been rising. There seems to be a general feeling among the average consumer that instead of buying half a kg of vegetables, it is better to go for a quarter of a kg of chicken and get benefited with its protein value. “A dozen eggs hardly cost ₹60 even when in high demand whereas the regular vegetables are selling double their prices, making the former a better choice,” says Dhana Lakshmi, a homemaker from Santhapeta locality here.
The prices of chilli and ginger have also seen a steep hike in recent weeks as their yield suffered due to rains in the respective production belts.
Prabhakar, a vegetable trader from Palamaner, expects the trend to continue till January as another spell of heavy rain is likely during the northeast monsoon in winter months. “However, the likely lean Sabarimala pilgrimage season owing to COVID-19 threat could bring some relief in prices from next month,” he adds.