Veggie prices continue to remain dear

CHENNAI: Yet another hike in fuel prices should not have come as a surprise, but Chennaiites were left with an unpleasant taste of rising vegetable prices.
Brinjal at Rs 40 a kilo, beans at Rs 75 a kilo and lady's finger at a shocking Rs 15 for a quarter kg. The Monday morning trip to the neighbourhood green grocer was enough to shock homemakers. "Barring potatoes and radish, most vegetables were priced at Rs 40 a kg in most shops.Prices go up when it rains, and they climb even when it is hot. When will prices stabilise for a family to eat vegetables heartily?" said Vanitha, an angry shopper. Thanks to the recent hike in petrol and diesel rates, shop keepers have got one more reason to hike vegetable prices, alleged residents.
However, wholesale merchants at the Koyambedu market said the Friday midnight hike in diesel prices was yet to be passed on to consumers. "Lorry owners are in talks and it is expected that they will announce a 20 % hike in rental charges and we will get a clear picture by Wednesday" said Koyambedu market management committee member VR Soundarajan. "You can expect vegetable prices to go up by 50 paise to Re 1 in the wholesale market," he added.
Currently, trucks charge a rental of Rs 13,000 for a 10 tonne load, said wholesale merchants. "This is likely to go up to Rs 15,000," they added. According to a press release from the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training, truck rentals between November 2009 and May 2010 have already gone up by 21-23% due to growth in the manufacturing sector. "The actual impact of the diesel hike will translate only in the next couple of days," said SP Singh of the IFTRT in the press release.
Meanwhile, Chennaiites continued to battle volatile vegetable prices. "Ginger is making my eyes water, instead of my tongue," said a young home maker. Wholesale dealers blamed retailers for jacking up prices, while retailers blamed it all on the fuel hike. "Regardless of what the lorry owners decide, vegetable prices will remain high in the coming weeks due to rains and festive season," said Dorai, a street vendor in Mylapore. D Satyavan, assistant professor, department of econometrics, University of Madras, said lorry rentals would go up and since vegetable vendors depended on them vegetable prices were unlikely to fall".