Summer demand, lack of rain push up lemon prices

BENGALURU: With mercury levels on the rise, the cost of lemon-based beverages has gone up.The reason:shooting price of lemons owing to rise in demand and lack of adequate supply. “Rising lemon prices have forced us to increase juice rates from Rs 20 to Rs 30 per glass,” said Suddaguntepalya-based juice vendor Prabhakar N, who buys lemons from Madiwala market.
JPNagar Veena Ksaid, “Lemon is a key ingredient for cooking, just like onion and tomato. The recent price hike has affected its consumption; sometimes we replace it with vinegar or orange juice.”
Vendors in Madiwala, Malleswaram and K R Market sell lemons at Rs 3-5 per piece compared to Rs 1.5-2 about two weeks ago. They claimed lack of enough rain has affected its yield. Supermarkets have raised prices to Rs 7 per piece.Lemons are brought from Vijayapura in north Karnataka and Prakasham district in Andhra Pradesh, which are affected by water shortage and lack of rain, said M Balakrishna, a wholesale trader.