Nagpur: As the temperature soars in Nagpur, vegetable prices too followed the suit. The lowered stock hitting the market owing to heat has once again taken the prices of vegetables to the telling high in the city. To top it all, the ensuing wedding season has already increased the demand for vegetables which has further pushed its prices which may increase further, said the vegetable dealers. The stocks are limited in supply and further decline is expected which may bring steep rise in the prices in the coming days.
The secretary of Mahatma Fule Vegetable Adatiya Market Ram Mahajan told a scribe that only 100 to 125 tempo-trucks are bringing vegetables to the market daily. The import from other States has decreased and the situation will become worse in near future, said Mahajan.
Vegetable production hit by concrete construction
An estimate shows that 30 km area outside the city is mostly agricultural land but the builders are now encroaching there. This has caused remarkable decrease in production of vegetables in last three years, informed Mahajan. Vegetables like cabbage, aubergine, beans, tomatoes, spinach, etc are currently affordable. Regularly used vegetables are in the range of Rs 15-30 per kg.
Only potatoes are cheaper
Due to good production, the potatoes this year are relatively cheap and onions too are affordable. Mahajan informed that onions cannot be stored after January in the market. The red and white onions are selling in the range of Rs 8-10 per kg at Kalamna market and their retail price is Rs 15. Around 15 to 20 trucks from Chalisgaon, Dhule and Jalgaon are bringing onions here and high quality product is expected from Akola and Amravati sometime this month. President of Potato-Onion Adhatiya Association Jayprakash Wasani opined that prices of onion and potatoes might rise due to crop damage caused by rains.
