Veggie prices in city hot and sour!

KOCHI: As the prices of vegetables have gone up in the market this week, veggies in town are out to face a tough time. The hike in prices has struck almost all vegetables, including that of beans which have shot up to Rs 70 a kilo on Tuesday. And even though, vendors say that the price of a few vegetables has gone down by a meagre Rs 2 or so as opposed to last week’s figures, the officials with the Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Ltd (Horticorp) affirm that the price of vegetables is expected to shoot up in the coming days. “Except for a few fluctuation in the prices, we expect the rates of the vegetables will remain at an all-time high till the beginning of June. The comparative fall in the production of vegetables and fruits in Tamil Nadu owing to summer heat has led to the hike in Kerala. When summer hits Kerala, the prices of vegetables coming from Tamil Nadu automatically increase,” said an official with the Horticorp Department.Vendors say that it is the increase in price of vegetables at the wholesale market, that is forcing the retail vendors to sell their produce at a considerably higher rates. “There is always a demand for fresh items. All the fresh items are costly in the morning at the wholesale markets and hence it is difficult to reduce the rates,” says Jamal, a fruit vendor.Besides the beans, the prices of vegetables such as tomatoes, cauliflowers and cabbages have also soared. “Cauliflowers and cabbages were less than Rs 20 last month. But this week, the prices have escalated in between Rs 35 and Rs 40,” he added. Besides, the demand of banana varieties by consumers has gone down with the price of raw plantain shooting to Rs 48 on Tuesday.What is more is that people have started purchasing yardlong beans instead of beans because it is one of the cheapest vegetables being sold. “With only Rs 36 a kilo for the yardlong beans, people have started buying them in large quantities. Also, the lady’s finger, yam and small varieties of bananas are available for Rs 30, Rs 24 and Rs 20 respectively. There is a huge demand for these items too,” Mohan, another vendor said.