Ujjain : Vegetable prices have increased by almost twofold in the past 15 days due to incessant rains. Problems in transportation and damaged crops have reduced the supply, resulting in increased prices.
The prices of tomato, beans, lemon, ginger and onions have shot up. Ishwer, a vegetable vendor at Freeganj located vegetable market saidrain has damaged the crops, triggering a shortage of the vegetables. Many vegetables are grown in local villages and due the rain the vegetable crop was damaged. The yield of tomato, cucumber, coriander, fenugreek, spinach, cauliflower, capsicum and even green chilly is worst hit. Continuous rains have led to stagnant water in the plants, he said. The onion prices are also soaring and now it is selling for Rs 40-45 per kilogram according to the variety.
Same is the condition of other storage vegetables such as Potato and Okra which is selling now for Rs 50 per kg. An official at the agriculture department said the vegetable crops are most affected by the heavy downpour, as per a rough estimate, around 50 per cent vegetable crop was damaged and the rest depends on mercy of weather. Even a few days of sunshine can repair some damage. On the other hand the high moisture content in the environment has led to damage in the stock preserved in the cold storages; due to this the prices are soaring.
