Veggie, fruit prices head north during Ramzan

UDUPI: The soaring prices of fruits and vegetables is certainly a bitter pill during this festive month of Ramzan. Many traders and people in the city fear that the skyrocketing prices will make the festive season an expensive affair for all.
As Muslims after their daylong fasting during this month prefer to use potato, carrot, beetroot and beans for preparing samosa in the evening, there is high demand for vegetables.The fishing ban has also added fuel to price rise. Due to irregular rainfall, there is scarcity in supply of vegetables in the local market.
Beans, which cost Rs 30 per kg last month, is priced at Rs 50. So is carrot at Rs 60 from Rs 40; tomato is at Rs 25 from Rs 9 while cowpea beans have gone up to Rs 40 from Rs 25 last month. Likewise price of apple, which was Rs 100 last month, has shot up to Rs 180 per kg, sweet lime is double at Rs 80. Chandrakanth Kini, owner of R K Vegetable Shop in Udupi vegetable market, said vegetable supply from Bangalore, Chikmagalur and Belgaum has decreased these days due to rainfall deficit. It may be only in August, the price may come down as there will be supply of vegetables from local places like Kundapur and Brahmavara.
"The middlemen too are behind the unreasonable rise in the prices of vegetables those have long shelf life. The demand is still high as fish lovers now prefer vegetables in the absence of availability of fish," he added.
Subrahmanya Rao, a resident of Chitpadi in Udupi, who works in a private firm, said the prices of fruits are still affordable in the wholesale market. The vendors in retail market are trying to cash in on the festive season. There should be some mechanism to check the prices of vegetables and fruits in the retail market, he said.