Household budgets shoot up on high food prices

Premila Mathur, a housewife living in a western Mumbai suburb, is desperately hunting for a job in the private sector. The mother of two school-going children had never imagined in her 13 years of married life that she will have to look for a job for survival.

Premila is not alone. There are many like her who are seeking an opportunity to earn a few extra bucks by taking up vocations like stitching, and working on plastic machine moulded items, or even private tuition that suits their time and educational qualification to support their household income. “Our household budget have more than doubled in the last three months due to the massive rise in food prices,” said Premila.

Her husband Raman Mathur, a computer operator in a private firm in Fort, earns a monthly salary of Rs 12,500. The recent increase in prices of essential commodities, including foodgrain and vegetables, have made life difficult for people like him.

“Till two months ago, these commodities were quoted at one-third of the current market price. But now, they have become almost unaffordable,” said Premila.

Garlic prices in Vashi mandi is currently quoted at Rs 260-280 per kg, while onion is sold in Lasangaon, Nasik, mandi between Rs 25-30 a kg. In retail markets, however, onion continued to trade between Rs 55-60 a kg. Most importantly, tomato which stood at Rs 6-7 a kg in the retail markets a month ago has gone up to Rs 45-50 per kg.

The new garlic crop, which also has medicinal values, will start hitting the market by the January-end. Until then, consumers will have to cope with the rising prices. Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has already hinted that there will be no reprieve from high onion prices for another three weeks.

The ministry of petroleum is considering to raise cooking gas prices by Rs 100 per cylinder by the New Year. This is going to hit the average Indian family hard. The increase in diesel and petrol prices have also indirectly affected the middle class.

In the last 10-days the prices of foodgrain have started gradually moving up. The prices of fair average quality (FAQ) of rice and wheat have surged by Rs 50 each per quintal to sell between Rs 28-34 per kg and Rs 19-22 per kg respectively in the Vasai retail market.

Vegetables prices have also seen an increase with lady finger and cauliflower touching the Rs 60 per kg mark in the retail markets, while brinjal and pumpkin are sold between Rs 40-48 per kg.

“This is an unusual price rise. Generally, prices of green vegetables fall in December due to the arrival of the new season crop,” said Navina Bendre, another housewife from the same locality. She blamed the government for it.

Traders, however, said unseasonal rainfall has contributed to the rise in commodity prices. They said the rains had disrupted supply and spoiled large amount of agri commodities.

“Onion price was raised by Rs 20 per kg in one day because of artificial shortage which was never seen in the past. Traders apply the logic of double the prices in consuming centre from buying prices in main production centre. In this case also, traders continued selling onion at double the buying price.But, consumers will get a reprieve in the next 10 days as supply of good quality material has started,” said Ajit Shah, president of the Mumbai-based Indo Agro Produce Exports Chambers of Commerce.