Amid less arrivals, leafy vegetable prices shoot up in Pune's markets

PUNE: The prices of leafy vegetables, including coriander, fenugreek and dill (shepu), have gone up by over triple after three weeks - from Rs5 per bunch to Rs15-20 per bunch - in retail markets across the city. This is owing to rising demand and lesser arrivals of fresh harvest into the markets.
Growers of leafy vegetables faced huge losses in the last couple of weeks due to less demand in the market.Many threw their harvest in the wholesale markets across the district, said Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) officials at Gultekdi Market Yard.
"As a result, growers did not opt for new cultivation and intake in the market is comparatively less than what it used to be in the past couple of weeks. Now, we get 1.20 lakh bunches of coriander against 1.75 lakh bunches in the last few weeks. A similar trend is observed in fenugreek, dill and other vegetables. As a result, rates have gone up," said Babasaheb Bibve, head of the market yard's vegetable section.
"The prices are likely to remain high until fresh arrivals of vegetables. Usually, whenever the rates go up, farmers go for fresh cultivation. They get a harvest within five to six weeks. As a result, leafy vegetable rates are dynamic compared to other vegetables," added Bibve.
Similarly, prices of fruit like pomegranates and oranges have gone up in markets. One kg of pomegranate is sold in the range of Rs 200-300, depending upon its size and colour. Rates of oranges have also gone up due to less intake from Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. "One kg of orange was being sold in the range of Rs 50-60 a few weeks ago. Now, it is being sold for Rs 70-100 in the retail market," said officials.
Buyers rued the increased prices. "In winter, we usally get leafies at cheaper prices. But this year, prices remained stable. I spend Rs10 minimum for one bunch of coriander. We never know the exact reasons for any price hike," said Savita Kale, a resident of Kothrud. Similarly, Pavan Deshpande, a techie from Pimple Gurav, said, "The rates of all fruit through the year remain high. It is orange season. Still, we have to buy it at a high price. All fruits sell for over Rs100/kg irrespective of quantity of arrival in wholesale markets."