Bengaluru: Tomato at Rs 70/kg! Veggie prices see spurt

Bengaluru: Homemakers in the city, who are struggling to manage their kitchen budgets, were in for a bigger shock on Monday as prices of vegetables shot through the roof. Adding to their woes, from Tuesday they need to pay '4 more for a litre of Nandini milk.

Retail vegetable vendors said that on Monday, carrot prices were hovering around Rs 120 per kg, tomato (Rs 70 per kg) and beans (Rs 100 per kg). “Supply concerns and increased demand are the reason for the sudden spurt in the vegetable prices in the city market,” said Suma V., a retail vendor in Malleswaram. Tomato was just Rs 25 per kg on December 31, while beans and carrot were also cheaper. The vegetables are seeing a spurt on a daily babsi. “Suddenly, we are seeing a sudden dip in the supply, leading to skyrocketing prices. But I cannot fathom why the prices are going up” she said. Wholesale vendors said that one of the reasons for the spurt in the prices is start of festival season. “Generally, in the first week of January, we witness increased rates for all commodities. This trend expected to continue,” said Mr Mohmmed Usam, a wholesale vendor from KR Market.