Hyderabad: Last week’s floods in Andhra Pradesh and heavy rains in Maharashtra have led to a steep spike in vegetables prices in the city. While most of the vegetables have been selling at high prices, onions prices have shot up to Rs 70 per kg in the retail market. Prices are expected to further increase in the coming days.
According to traders and vendors, due to heavy rains in Maharashtra there has been heavy damage of onion crops there. As there is no domestic production of onions in Telangana, there is dependency on its supply from Maharashtra.
On the other hand, the prices of green chillies has come down drastically. Though it is being sold at Rs 50 to 60 per kg in the retail market, consumers are unaware that the stocks of green chillies coming from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have been selling at Rs 15 per kg in the wholesale market.
It is interesting to note that traders from Bowenpally vegetable market are taking the green chilly stock arriving there from AP to Vantimamidi vegetable market in Wargal mandal, where they are selling it at Rs 150 per 10 kg in packets.
However, the local green chilli crop has been hit by a double-whammy, as the crop in Mulugu and Wargal mandals specifically, and across the state in general, are affected by the yellow virus.
Female doctor assaulted at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, CCTV footage surfaces
According to Nagaraju, a farmer from Mulugu mandal in Siddipet district, the infestation of black thrips in green chillies has caused irreversible losses to the horticultural farming community and has also been persistently damaging the crop. He believes that green chilli crops could once again affected by it in the coming days.
As most of the vegetables come from AP, and due to floods there, crops have been damaged and the supply-chain too got impacted due to disconnected transportation, resulting in the prices to hike.
Okra is selling at Rs 55 per kg in Rythu Bazars in Hyderabad, but it is priced much higher in the retail market. Carrot too has become expensive, as it is selling at Rs 50 per kg in Rythu Bazars, but is being sold for as much as Rs 80 per kg in the retail market.
French beans are selling at Rs 65 per kg, ribbed gourd at Rs 50 per kg, cluster beans is selling at Rs 45 per kg, ivy gourd at Rs 50 per kg, and bitter gourd is priced at Rs 45 per kg in the Rythu Bazars. In the retail and neighbourhood markets the prices are much higher.
Tomatoes appear to be more or less stable, as they are priced at Rs 27 per kg in Rythu Bazars. Last week tomatoes were being sold at Rs 100 for 4 to 5 kg.
This situation could continue for a month or more, until new crops are sown and harvested, which takes at least 40 days, said traders.
