Visakhapatnam: Rythu bazaars are of no use now for people because the government departments have started distributing tomatoes, onions and potatoes to the people at subsidised prices. Not many vegetables are available in these markets even at higher rates.
Soon after Hudhud cyclone hit the city on October 12, people were able to get vegetables from rythu bazaars and other shopping malls at higher prices. There was no difficulty for people since vegetables were reaching from other parts of the state. But, the situation had changed with the announcement of the government that they would supply vegetables and onions at subsidised prices.
Now, people have to stand in huge queue lines since morning even for tomatoes at Rs 3 and onions and potatoes at Rs 5 per kg. Some perishable vegetables were also being sold at Rs 3. Still, there was no problem in rythu bazaars for people who can buy vegetables at any cost.
Finally, farmers who normally sell vegetables at these places stopped bringing them from other parts of the district and confined to labour work being engaged by the government for vending at low prices. Now, majority stalls in city rythu bazaars are empty with less number of traders and city population criticising that the entire system was spoiled.
A senior citizen from MVP Colony, P. Rama Rao, asked, “What is the need for creating artificial scarcity for vegetables in the city and do we need to eat onions and potatoes alone? We prefer potatoes once in a week and the quality of other vegetables being sold of a majority of items was not upto the mark.”
The Hudhud cyclone had damaged the vegetable crops in around 25,000 acres in Vizag and Vizianagaram districts.
With the affect of this calamity the exports to Odisha and Chhattisgarh were stalled from Vizianagaram district. Due to the heavy loss to this sector, the prices of vegetables are likely to go up in near future.
Tomato and cauliflower crops in thousands of acres were washed away in Vizag Agency. The vegetables farmers get the income from November to February. The cyclone had crashed their dreams.
Crops were damaged in 12,000 acres in Vizianagaram and 15,000 acres in Vizag district. As per an assessment, production loss was estimsated to be around Rs 20 crore.
