Bhubaneswar: Prices of most vegetables, which had skyrocketed for the last few weeks, have made a sharp fall in the retail market of the city.
Most of the vegetables including cabbage, brinjal, and tomato, which used to cost around Rs 50 per kg, are now available for Rs 20-30 per kg. Capsicum, which is available at Rs 40 per kg now, was selling at Rs 100 per kg. The potato price has also come down to Rs 30. Only Parwal costs Rs 60 to 70 per kg.
On the fall in prices of the vegetables, Gayadhar Swain, president, Unit-I Haat Byabasayee Sangha pointed at the rise in supply from the local sources. “As we did not have local supply, we had to depend on other states which led to rise in prices,” he said.
“Vegetables to the local market have started coming from city outskirts like Baranga, Balipatna, Balianta, Phulnakhara and Pipili. For the Cuttack city, vegetables are coming from nearby villages,” Swain added.
He further said since the green products are mostly harvested for four months from December to March, the prices will remain low during the period.
In case of potato price which led to an outcry among the consumers, Swain said Odisha sources the tuber mainly from West Bengal. During the cultivation time, the neighbouring state used to export the old stock to Odisha at a high cost. Now that they have got new harvest, they have to clear old stock by December-end. So they are charging less now, he added.
Sudhakar Panda, secretary general, Odisha Byabasayee Sangha blamed the corporate houses for rise in vegetable prices. “The price of vegetables used to rise by 5 to 10 per cent when demand was more than supply. But now price is increasing abnormally. Because the corporate houses are storing huge stock,” he said.
“The business scenario has completely changed from what it was 15-16 years back. It’s very difficult for us to sustain in such an unpredictable market. We cannot plan for future also,” said Panda.
However, the veggies can have a good time till the market witnesses upward swing after a few months.
