Cold, water shortage lower veggie supply, push up prices

PUNE: The water shortage and extreme cold weather has started taking a toll on the supply of vegetables. Supplies have dipped by 20% in the last week with the prices of vegetables like tomatoes doubling since the last fortnight. The prices of most other vegetables have gone up by Rs 10-20 or even more in the last fortnight.
Officials at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) said vegetables need moderate temperatures for growth.The extreme chill in parts of the state compounded by a water shortage has affected the growth of vegetables.
An APMC official told TOI that the prices of vegetables like cluster beans, okra and tomatoes — the kind that are harvested after every four or five days — have increased by about 20-25%. “Severe cold conditions coupled with inadequate sunlight tend to hamper the growth of vegetables,” he said.
There have been instances this winter when even the day temperatures in parts of the state were on the lower side. On January 14 for instance, day temperatures were marginally below normal in close to 14 met department stations in the state.
The official said that though this effect on vegetable growth is witnessed every winter, it has been particularly harsh this time in several regions.
Balasaheb Dhage, a vendor in Kothrud, said that while the prices of onions and potatoes have remained the same over the last few days, those of most other vegetables have surged by a minimum of Rs 20 in the past 10 days to a fortnight. “Cauliflower, which was being sold at Rs 40 per kg, now costs between Rs 60 and Rs 80 depending on the area where it is sold. The prices of okra, ridge gourd and eggplant have similarly gone up,” he said.
The prices of cauliflower, tomatoes, peas, brinjal, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, French beans and cluster beans have all gone up in the last week to 15 days, said vendors.
Yakub Pathan, owner of Fresh Vegetable Market in Wakad, said tomato prices began rising from December 27 last year. “Tomatoes were being sold at Rs 30 per kg in most retail markets then. However, from January 7, the retail prices of tomatoes shot up to Rs 24 in the wholesale market and Rs 40 per kg in the retail market. Currently, there is a 25-30% dearth of tomatoes in the wholesale market,” he said.
Pathan said harvests are taking time as the growth phase during which tomatoes turn from pale to red seems to have lengthened due to the cold conditions.
Inderjan Sen, a vegetable vendor in Koregaon Park, said tomatoes in the retail market were selling for Rs 15-16 per kg a fortnight ago but the prices have now gone up to Rs 30-35 per kg. “Prices of most vegetables have gone up by Rs 5-10 during the last few days due to several reasons. The extreme cold in parts of the state have affected the ripening of vegetables, increasing the time before harvests. This in turn has resulted in a shortage. The dearth of water and the recent Makar Sankranti festival also played a role in pushing up vegetable prices,” he said.