Vegetable shortage in Berhampur

The markets in Berhampur, the biggest commercial town of south Orissa, are facing a severe shortage of vegetables because of the sharp drop in vegetable production in the adjoining strife-torn Kandhamal district.

To add to the woes of the ordinary consumers, prices of almost all vegetables have shot up- in some cases by 100 per cent. For instance tomatoes, which were available at Rs 15 per kg, about a month back, are now sold at Rs 40 per kg. Similarly the price of beans has soared by 100 per cent to Rs 30-35 per kg.

Other vegetables like cauliflowers, drumsticks, cabbage and radish are now out of the reach of the common man and brinjal is priced at Rs 15 to Rs 25 per kg. "Middle-men are jacking up prices and the government has failed to control the prices", said Archana Lenka, a house wife. However, the vegetable vendors have attributed the spiralling of vegetable prices to the prevailing supply crunch. "We are not able to meet the demand due to the short supply of the vegetables", said Ram Chandra Pradhan, a vegetable seller at a local vegetable market here.

The short-supply was due to the sharp drop in vegetable production in neighboring Kandhamal district. The tribal dominated Kandhamal is known as a horticulture district and is famous for vegetable production. With the vegetable production in Ganjam district inadequate to meet the demand, the vegetable market in Berhampur mainly depends on supply of vegetables from Kandhamal.

Kandhamal has witnessed a drastic drop in vegetable production in the wake of prolonged violence. "The farmers of the trouble-torn district are not able to cultivate vegetables due to continuing communal violence and the subsequent crackdown by the police", said a farmer in Kandhamal.

Before the onset of winter, the farmers of Kandhamal generally produce vegetables like cauliflowers, tomatoes and beans but this year, the production was almost nil owing to which the supply to the Berhampur market was dwindling, said a trader.

"If the violence and police crackdown continue in Kandhamal for more days, the people in Berhampur would be forced to buy vegetables at higher prices. The people, especially the tribal farmers of Kandhamal would also suffer a lot in the process", said an officer in the state agriculture department.