Visakhapatnam: Vegetable prices have touched the roof in Visakhapatnam city while the volume of supplies has come down in Rythu Bazaars due to pre-monsoon rains.
Housewives are feeling the pinch, for one kg tomato is selling for ₹100.
Housewife Sujatha of Seethammadhara in Visakhapatnam said after vegetable prices started shooting up, they are most of the time eating eggs, as they are cheaper than vegetables.
Ridge Gourd and Black Brinjals are being sold at the Rythu Bazaar for ₹60 a kg. A medium size cauliflower costs ₹45 each. Leafy vegetables have also become dearer.
Assistant marketing director Yashin says vegetable crops had been destroyed due to the heat wave. The supply has got reduced due to that. “Due to limited supply, consumers visiting Rythu Bazaars are not getting many vegetables after 10 am. That is why, the government is planning to buy vegetables from the open market and sell them in Rythu Bazaars,” Yashin stated.
He said tomatoes in particular have become very costly. They are trying to buy it from Nasik. They are hopeful that they will find a solution in a week.
Yashin said the new crop of vegetables is getting ready. People can get all varieties of vegetables by next week, he assured.
He pointed out that on a normal day, more than 120 tonnes of vegetables are sold in the 13 Rythu Bazaars of Visakhapatnam.
Most of the vegetables are being sourced from Ramabhadrapuram in Vizianagaram, East and West Godavari districts. Tomatoes are being imported from Nasik. Agency areas of Visakhapatnam supply peas, rajma, beans, ginger and at times cabbage. Leafy vegetables are coming from Chintala Agraharam in Vizianagaram district.
