Vegetable prices skyrocket in East Godavari district
Customers at a Rythu Bazar in Kakinada on Sunday
Kakinada: The prices of vegetables are not in the reach of common man in East Godavari district.
The price of the brinjal is Rs 64 per kg and tomato Rs 34 in the Rythu Bazars. In the open market, the price of brinjal is Rs 100 per kg and the price of tomato per kg is Rs 50.
Surprisingly, the price of coriander is Rs 200 per kg in Rythu Bazars in the district. The brinjal crop is cultivated locally. But with the recent rains and floods, this crop was largely damaged. The black brinjal in Rythu Bazars is available at Rs 64 and Rs 100 in open market as the crop is coming from Sitanagaram mandal of East Godavari district.
The prices of almost all vegetables in Rythu Bazars are beyond the reach of poor and the prices displayed on the board hardly match with the actually prices vegetable being sold in the market. The vendors are selling the vegetables at higher pricesin Rythu Bazars.
The prices of vegetables soared with ladies finger available at Rs 34 per kg, green Chillies Rs 48, snake guard each Rs 16, cauliflower Rs 14, banana Rs 5, mango Rs 60, carrot Rs 48, onion Rs 34, sweet potato Rs 62, beetroot Rs 24 and beans Rs 50 in the Rythu Bazars in the district.
The vendors attribute the high rates of vegetables to the incessant rains in the district. Another reason is that the vegetables are imported from other districts. High cost of petrol and diesel is indirectly responsible for high prices of the vegetables.
The retailers are predicting the prices of vegetables may continue to remain high during the Karthika Masam.
A consumer G Sanjeev Kumar said that the skyrocketing vegetable prices have forced people to adopt alternative ways of cooking with low priced vegetables and eggs.
G Hymavathi, a housewife of Kakinada says life is hard with essential commodities becoming costly. "In the present situation, we are unable to purchase vegetables like brinjal and tomato," she said.
Rythu Bazar Estate Officer R Srinivasa Rao told 'The Hans India' that owing to rains, the prices of vegetables have gone up. He said that they are importing tomatoes from Madanapalli and Kanigiri villages of Chittoor district. The crop of coriander is totally damaged in AP. He said that alternatively they are getting it from Bengaluru by flight.