After tomatoes, the price of kitchen staple green chilli has shot up to ₹120 per kg in the retail market, and traders at the wholesale market say that there will be no respite for at least one to two months. Farmers clear the field for fresh seeding ahead of monsoon and a dip in supply during this period is seen.
₹60-70 per Kg in wholesale market
According to traders, the price of green chilli started increasing by mid-June and now it has reached upto ₹60 to ₹70 per kg in the wholesale market. In the retail market, the price of the commodity is commanding between ₹100 and ₹120 per kg.
Normally, buyers take green chilli and coriander leaves free of cost. Now, they do not give. "It’s very difficult to give free green chilli as the wholesale price has even crossed ₹100 per kg," said Amin Patel, a vegetable vendor in Vashi, adding that green chilli is perishable and so the overall cost of one kg goes upto ₹130.
Shortage of green chilli due to weather
According to traders at Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Vashi, the wholesale market receives green chilli mainly from Maharashtra, and Gujarat. “During April and May, there is shortage of green chilli as farmers clean the land for fresh seeding,” said a trader at APMC Vashi. He added that due to bad weather during January, crops were damaged and farmers decided to remove old plants for fresh seeding a little earlier.
Decline in chili supply from West Bengal
Apart from Gujarat and Maharashtra, Mumbai also receives a small portion of the supply of green chilli from West Bengal. However, that supply, too, has gone down.
Around a week ago, APMC Vashi was receiving around 40 to 50 vehicles laden with green vegetables. Now, the number of vehicles arriving in the market has dropped to 10. “Since the supply has come down by around 80%, the price is likely to rise,” said Viren Shah, a trader at APMC Vashi.
