Heavy showers send vegetable prices soaring through roof in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The intense rainfall in many parts of the State resulted in the prices of essential vegetables, including  tomatoes, green chillies and onions, going up sharply across many vegetable markets and rythu bazaars in the city.

At Bowenpally vegetable market, which is one of the biggest markets in the twin cities, a kg of tomatoes is being sold for Rs 30 and in rythu bazaar, it is Rs 32. Last month, tomatoes were available for Rs 10 per kg and it increased more than three times by October 17.

Owing to the rains that have lashed the State, about 95 per cent of the tomatoes that have arrived in city markets are from neighbouring States, while only 23 quintals were from Telangana.

Similarly, green chillies, which were available for Rs 15 a kg on September 20, have risen to Rs 35 per kg on Sunday. Onions were sold in the range of Rs 30 to Rs 35 per kg, while capsicum and drumsticks have become dearer as their prices have risen to Rs 60 and Rs 70 per kg respectively.

According to officials of the Bowenpally Agricultural Market Committee, the vegetable production was less in the State and this affected the arrivals to the market.

On Sunday, Bowenpally market received 17,966 quintals of vegetables, including 2,578 quintals of tomatoes, 3,818 quintals of potatoes and 1,433 quintals of green chillies.

At present, the Bowenpally market has been receiving 38 per cent of vegetables from Telangana and 62 per cent from outside the State. The prices in rythu bazaars like Erragadda and Mehdipatnam were higher by Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kg on tomatoes, chillies and potatoes.

"We are getting tomatoes from Medchal and Shamirpet in Telangana, and from Anantapur, Kurnool, Kalyandurg, Pattikonda in Andhra Pradesh. While a majority of the green chillies are from Nagpur, Gooty, Anantapur, Kurnool and Bellary," said a Bowenpally market committee official.