Fish, vegetable prices set to go down

Chennai: Consumers have happy days coming their way with vegetable and fish prices to stabilise soon. Wholesalers say that the season is looking fresh with good supplies and prices will come down in the coming weeks.

With months of bad winds and weather making way for sunnier da­ys, fishermen have started venturing into the sea. V. Bharathi, president of the south Indian fishermen’s welfare ass­o­­ciation, says, “All fishermen are yet to return from Pongal from their native villages, and by ne­­xt week, we expect pr­i­ces to go down as better supplies will be in.”

Vincent G, a fisherman at the Kasimedu harb­o­ur, says, “Prices in the past one week were high as most fishermen were out and supplies were low in the market. But in the next five to six da­ys, as they return, pri­ces will be lower.”

On the vegetable front, too, change is visible with prices coming do­wn even during Po­n­gal. Dr­u­msticks, which ov­­­er the past months were quoted at the costl­iest, at Rs 250 a kg, have co­me down to Rs 140. V.R. Soun­d­ar­ya­rajan, a trader at Koya­mbedu mark­et, sa­ys, “Gr­een ch­i­lli, wh­ich was Rs 18 a kg, is being sold at Rs 15 today in the wholesale market.

Even bitter gourd prices have come down to '15 a kg from Rs 20. Across the bo­a­rd, there is a drop of ne­arly Rs 3. The month is promising and easy on customers’ purse, but by March, prices will start going up.”