Vegetable prices crash in Bengaluru amid war & glut

Bengaluru: Geopolitical tensions between Iran and Israel-US are beginning to impact Karnataka's agricultural markets, with prices of onions and other vegetables falling sharply and pushing farmers into distress.At the Bengaluru APMC Yard, traders report a widening gap between supply and demand. Large volumes of produce are arriving daily, but buyer interest has weakened, leading to a steep drop in prices that were stable just weeks ago.Onions, a major cash crop in north Karnataka and neighbouring states, have been among the worst hit. "Good-quality onions that earlier fetched between Rs 1,600 and Rs 2,000 per quintal are now selling at barely Rs 1,000-1,200, while medium and small varieties have seen even sharper declines," Uday Kumar, a wholesale onion and potato trader, said.Farmers are now realising as little as Rs 3-6 per kg, making it difficult to recover input and transport costs. In some cases, traders said, the price of an empty gunny sack—around Rs 18-20—exceeds the value of the onions it holds, forcing farmers to offload the produce at throwaway rates.According to KC Doreswamy, secretary of the APMC, multiple factors are behind the slump. "A shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has significantly affected the hotel and catering industry, a major bulk consumer of vegetables. With many establishments scaling down operations, procurement volumes have dropped drastically," he said.He added that good harvests in states such as Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal have reduced interstate demand for Karnataka's produce, creating a glut in local markets. "There is excess produce and less demand," he said.Tomato prices have also fallen sharply. "Tomatoes that sold at Rs 500-600 per 15 kg box earlier are now being auctioned at Rs 100-200," said Muniyappa Reddy, a trader at KR Market. Retail prices have dropped to around Rs 8-10 per kg.Other vegetables, including beans, capsicum and carrots, have seen prices fall by nearly 50%, while brinjal, cabbage, beetroot, okra and potatoes are retailing at Rs 20-30 per kg.Farmers from districts such as Koppal, Ballari and Vijayapura, as well as neighbouring states, are bearing the brunt. "The emotional and financial strain is evident at market yards, where several farmers are left with little choice but to sell at distress prices to avoid further losses," said P Govindharaj, a trader at Kalasipalya mandi.----For Graphic:Sharp fall at marketsVegetables: Current price; Price in mid-March Carrot: Rs 10-20; Rs 40Beans: Rs 30; Rs 60Capsicum: Rs 30; Rs 60Brinjal & beetroot: Rs 10-15; Rs 30Tomatoes (15 kg): Up to Rs 250; Rs 500-600Price per kgSource: KR Market traders