Assam:‘Veggie prices soar after crop loss in floods’

GUWAHATI: The sky-rocketing prices of vegetable have burnt a hole in the pockets of the common people not only in Guwahati but also in different parts of the state after ravaging floods destroyed crops of over 2 lakh hectares since April.
Traders in Guwahati said almost all the vegetables have crossed Rs 80 per-kg mark. Bitter melon, raw papaya, pointed gourd, sweet gourd and ridge gourd were selling for Rs 80 a kg. These vegetables cost Rs 30-40 a kg before the floods.
Sanatan Das, a vegetable seller at Bamunimaidam market, said: “The supply of vegetables to Guwahati markets has dropped sharply due to floods. We have not been able to procure vegetables as floods have damaged the roads at different locations. Moreover, prices of vegetables have gone up at the sources also. All these factors have resulted in a hike in prices of vegetables.”
He said prices are not coming down anytime soon. However, he said prices might stabilise if the flood situation does not deteriorate.
The lion’s share of the vegetables that Guwahati needs every day comes from Kharupetia in Darrang district. Vegetables also come from Goalpara, Nalbari, Barpeta and Morigaon districts.
A committee member of the Kharupetia sabji mandi (vegetable wholesale market) on condition of anonymity said, “The difference in vegetable prices at the mandi and retail markets is just around Rs 10-Rs 30. A hike at the source has affected the prices in retail markets,” the person said.
An official of the Kamrup (Metro) district administration said the wholesale vegetable and fruit market located at Pamohi is the only authorised market of the Assam State Agriculture and Marketing Board and other markets in the city have to follow the rates of Pamohi. “The retail traders buy products from the Pamohi wholesale market and sell at different rates at different places,” the official said.