Prices of vegetables have soared largely because of a fall in the yield following heavy rain in neighbouring States like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The budgets of low-income families have toppled with a spurt in the prices of vegetable as well as cooking gas.
Tomato has hit ₹100 a kg, soaring from ₹65 last week. The prices of beans, long beans and brinjal have doubled in a week. Brinjal was sold for ₹60 a kg on Sunday while it was ₹30 last week. Similarly, the price of long beans has doubled from ₹40 to ₹80 a kg.
“This price rise is appalling. Usually when the price of chicken goes up, we stop buying chicken. But when the prices of vegetables shoot up, life becomes really tough,” said Devyani K.P., a Kudumbashree member.
Restaurateurs and hoteliers have raised concern over the spiralling prices of vegetables. “Managing a small time restaurant like this is becoming a tough job with the increase in prices. Although vegetable prices have gone up, we can’t increase the price of meals and snacks,” said M. Prema, who runs a restaurant under the Kudumbashree banner.
Apart from tomato, beans and long beans, the price of drumstick has also shot up. Drumstick cost ₹95 on Sunday when it was only ₹50 last week.
The following is the prices of vegetables with the last week’s price in bracket — tomato: ₹100 (₹65); drumstick: ₹95 (₹50); brinjal: ₹60 (₹30); beans: ₹100 (₹90); cucumber: ₹50 (₹30); bitter gourd: ₹70 (₹30); beetroot: ₹60 (₹50); green chilli: ₹35 (₹20); long beans: ₹80 (₹40); elephant foot yam: ₹30 (₹30); and ladies finger: ₹40 (₹40).
According to Vinod Kumar, who runs a vegetables shop at Melamuri in Palakkad town, the prices of vegetables are likely to increase further if rain continued in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. He said because of the rain, the flowering of vegetables was delayed.
