BENGALURU: A fall in vegetable and fruit prices over the past week has come as a welcome boost for Bengalureans readying to celebrate Deepavali. In fact, many are pleasantly surprised by the development as festivals usually push up rates of essentials.
Dikshith S, a resident of Mathikere, said: “Prices of almost all vegetables have been climbing up for two months now, but surprisingly they have fallen before Deepavali. Last year, the prices were good all year, only to suddenly shoot up around this time.”
Untimely rain in September and October was one of the main reasons for prices going north until recently. Most of the crops were destroyed due to rain, creating supply scarcity.
Soham Shoney, a resident of Indiranagar, said, “Earlier this year, we had noticed a constant fluctuation in prices of fruits and vegetables due to a demand-supply issue, considering there were restrictions on transport. If prices are coming down gradually, it means things are finally heading towards normal.”
With supply issues sorted, citizens can now notice a substantial fall in veggie prices. “Although other vegetables are costing less now, prices of onions and potatoes are still on the higher side. Rates of fruits, vegetables and fresh greens are likely to drop further in the coming weeks, provided there is no untimely rain,” said an employee of a Hopcoms outlet.
Greens take nearly 30 days to grow completely. If the sky is clear for another week, their prices are likely to fall by a huge margin.
“Vegetable prices had skyrocketed last week. Prices of beans, carrots and onions had all hit Rs 100 per kg. I was surprised when today my regular vendor brought fresh vegetables and said all of them were just Rs 40 per kilo. I really don’t know why the drop in prices, but it’s good news for consumers. I only hope the farmers who sweat it out get a good price too,” said Rekha Chari, a resident of Malleswaram.