Vegetables, fruit prices shoot sky-high due to fuel price hike

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Vegetable prices in Delhi and adjoining areas have shot up due to an increase in the transportation cost as a result of the fuel price hike, leaving the customers as well as the sellers struggling.

Vegetable sellers say they are facing shrinking profits and reduced sales as due to the increased transportation cost and the ultimate hike in the buying price, they are bound to sell vegetables at a higher price, which means either a low margin for them or limited sales.

CNG prices in the national capital were hiked on Thursday for the second day in a row by Rs 2.5 per kg, taking the total increase since March to Rs 12.5 per kg. The increase in the CNG prices follows a Rs 10 per litre hike in the petrol and diesel prices in 16 days and a Rs 50 per cylinder raise in the LPG rates.

Dharmendra Singh, a vegetable vendor in Lajpat Nagar, said the prices of vegetables have gone up.

”Tomatoes are now being sold for Rs 40 per kg whereas earlier, the price was between Rs 25 and Rs 30. Bottle gourd is now being sold for Rs 40 per kg. Even the price of potatoes has gone up. It is now available for Rs 25 per kg. Earlier, it used to be sold for Rs 10 per kg.

”The prices of most of the vegetables have gone up. We hardly make any profit. We buy the vegetables paying a fixed price from the market. Another problem is that we do not get to choose the vegetables at the mandi. We are given a fixed slot and some times, inferior quality vegetables get mixed up. With the prices going up, people have also reduced the quantity of vegetables they buy,” he said.

Akhilesh, another vendor in Lajpat Nagar, said the prices of fruits too have also gone up.

”It is the summer season and watermelons are always in demand. Earlier, we used to sell it for Rs 20 or Rs 25 but now, it is being sold for Rs 30. We get watermelons for Rs 27 from the mandis, so we hardly make any profit,” he said.

Some vendors said they have stopped giving coriander leaves and green chilies to customers for free.

”We no longer give green chilies to customers for free. Lemon is available in the market for Rs 350 per kg, which means you would not even get one for Rs 10. Capsicum is Rs 100 per kg. Then the customers bargain. They know that the prices have gone up, but still they ask for chilies for free,” Akhilesh said.

Deepak Ranjan, a vegetable seller at Sector 76 in Noida, also echoed similar views and pointed out that the rates have gone up at the vegetable markets due to the fuel price hike, coupled with damage of crops in Gujarat due to a cyclone.

”Due to the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, the transportation cost has increased, causing a ripple effect on vegetable prices. The rates of lemons are soaring because of a natural calamity in Gujarat, while other vegetables that come from different states have become costlier due to the high transportation cost,” he told PTI.

Sabir Mohammad, a vegetable trader in Mayur Vihar-1, said there has been a rise in the rates of lemon and capsicum, while the prices of staple vegetables like onion and tomato have also gone up.

”These days, lemon prices are ranging between Rs 300 and Rs 350 per kg, which is unprecedented. It is because of the crop loss due to a cyclone in Gujarat. Tomato prices are ranging between Rs 40 and Rs 45 per kg while earlier, it used to be sold for around Rs 30-35 per kg. Similarly, onion prices have also been hiked and now, it is around Rs 40 per kg. It used to be sold for around Rs 30-35 per kg earlier,” he said.

Similar thoughts were shared by Haji Yunus, a vegetable trader in New Ashok Nagar who said they have been buying vegetables at higher rates in the wholesale markets and hence, the ripple effect is being felt in the retail markets as well.

”Most of the staple vegetables such as onion and tomato come to Delhi from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The rates of onion and tomato have increased by about Rs 10-15 per kg because of the high transportation cost. Similarly, lemon, capsicum and chilies are also being sold at high rates because of a cyclone in Gujarat, coupled with the high transportation cost,” he said. (PTI)