Bhopal: With the arrival of the monsoon, vegetable prices in the market have begun to soar. The Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal has witnessed a significant increase in the prices of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes in the past 15 days.
Excluding spinach (palak) and sponge gourd (gilki), the prices of most other vegetables have surged to as high as ?60 per kilogram, causing a strain on household kitchen budgets. Consequently, housewives are now purchasing only essential vegetables.
Prices of potatoes and onions will not decrease
Currently, potatoes are retailing at ?40 per kilogram, while good quality onions and tomatoes are being sold at ?50 and ?80 per kilogram respectively. Market traders predict that the prices of potatoes and onions will not decrease over the next three months. Instead, they may increase further in September and October. The city’s supply of potatoes comes from cold storages in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Arrival of potatoes, onions has decreased
According to market information, the arrival of potatoes in the market has decreased to one-fourth of the usual supply over the past ten days. Wholesale traders report that previously, 30-35 truckloads of potatoes were delivered to the city’s markets, but now, only 10-12 trucks arrive. Similarly, the supply of onions has reduced from 30-40 truckloads to just 8-10 trucks. Each truck typically carries about 28 tonnes of produce.
Onion crop affected by rains
The current wholesale prices of potatoes range between ?28 and ?32 per kilogram. Last year, due to a decline in potato production, major traders stored the available potatoes in cold storage, which are now being released into the markets. Additionally, the onion crop has been affected by the recent rains in April, further influencing the supply and pricing.
