Unprecedented steep fall in vegetable prices
Posted on: 19/Feb/2018 12:00:51 PM
The prices of vegetable in the Chennai Koyambedu wholesale vegetable market have come down quite steeply unprecedented in the last few years.
The consultant of the Koyambedu fruits, flowers, and vegetables traders’ association, Soundararajan explained regarding this: He has been selling vegetable wholesale since the period when the vegetables were stocked in Parry’s Corner. He has never seen in his experience the vegetable prices falling so steeply.
It is a routine for the vegetable prices to go up and down due to various factors such as summer dryness, seasonal monsoon rains, snowfall, etc. However, there has never been such a steep fall as experienced now in the vegetable prices.
Why? Even until a month ago, small (sambar) onion was sold at Rs. 200 per kg. Tomato was sold at Rs. 60 per kg. However, the situation has gone topsy-turvy now. There was an instance in the year 1990 when the vegetable prices were very low. However, this time the vegetable prices have gone down even lower.
A regrettable point to note here is that even though the vegetable prices are at rock-bottom, there are no buyers. This development has greatly affected both the wholesale and retail traders.
Some retail traders informed that as the buyers did not come forward to buy more quantities though the prices were very low, a situation has arisen when the older stock of vegetables had to be simply thrown out as garbage. During the period when the vegetable prices were up, a daily trading up to Rs. 15000 was transacted. However, in the present situation, it has become rather difficult even to have a daily trading of up to Rs. 3000.
|
Vegetable |
Price (in Rs. Per kg) |
|
Tomato |
6-8 |
|
Beans |
8-30 |
|
Carrot |
8-20 |
|
Noolkol (turnip) |
10-15 |
|
Beetroot |
10-12 |
|
Cauliflower |
8-10 |
|
Chow Chow |
5-15 |
|
Cabbage |
8-10 |
|
Potato |
15-20 |
|
Broad beans (avarai) |
5-20 |
|
Brinjal |
5-10 |
|
Bitter gourd |
10-20 |
|
Drumstick |
20-30 |
|
Yam |
10-20 |
|
Radish |
5-10 |
|
Okra (lady’s finger) |
15-30 |
|
Snake gourd |
10-15 |
|
Large onion |
25-30 |
|
Small onion |
25-30 |
