Bhopal: Surge in demand for vegetables during festive season have led to a sharp rise in their prices in the state capital. Customers have to loosen their purse string as they head to haats here to buy veggies, the supply of which has witnessed a sharp decline in last few days.
Popular items like tomatoes, brinjal, fenugreek, cauliflower, pointed gourd, beans, and bitter gourd have become costlier. Traders attributed the price rise to short supply of vegetable in the market due to festive season. Besides, the two days truckers’ strike ahead of the festivals shot up the prices of the vegetables. Supply of vegetables was worst affected leading to sky-rocking of their prices and leaving the customers high and dry.
Suresh Kushwah, a vendor at Bittan market, said, “We are helpless as we have purchased vegetable at higher rates and so we will have to sell it at higher prices.” There is short supply in the wholesale market so we are not getting vegetable in sufficient amount, he added.
Siraj, a wholesale trader of Azad and Company said, “As there is short supply of vegetable due to festive season, so prices are high. The rates will come down within next couple of days when proper supply of vegetable is resumed.”
Siraj further said, “Truck operators were on two days strike in Madhya Pradesh in response to nationwide call of All India Motors Transport Congress from October 9 to protest against GST, diesel price hike and corruption on roads. This strike disrupted the rolling of supply and then there were festivals ahead. This added fuel to fire. Consequently, vegetable prices went up in the open market as these factors led to the rise in demand against the short supply of vegetable in the market.”