Vegetable prices to remain high in next 15 days in Bengal

Majority of the early crop was destroyed in more than districts due to floods

The West Bengal government might have been able to contain potato prices, but spiraling vegetable prices could be a new cause of worry for chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

 

With a majority early vegetable crop destroyed in more than five districts due to floods, disruption of supply of vegetables like onion and tomatoes from Jharkhand and Orissa has added to the price rise.

 

Vegetable prices in major markets in Kolkata are now soaring between Rs 60-90 per kg. Generally, vegetable prices in the first week of November stay between Rs 15-20 per kg.   While onions continue to sell between Rs 60-70 per kg, tomatoes are selling at four times than the normal prices.  

 

However, potato prices in the open market now have come down to nearly Rs 16 per kg, thanks to the strident measures by the state government to stop hoarding.  

 

 “In the next 15 days vegetable prices are unlikely to come down, as the early crop has been completely destroyed in districts,” said Pranab Chatterjee, professor at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya. 

 

While farmers have started fresh plantation of vegetables, the new crop is unlikely to arrive before the middle of December.  

 

Meanwhile, paddy prices have also shot up to Rs 15 a kg, against normal price of Rs 11 per kg, and the MSP of Rs 10 per kg. More than 70 per cent of paddy crop in Purba Medinipur,  Paschim Medinipur, Purulia ,  Hooghly and Bankura have been affected. The five districts account for nearly 30 per cent the state’s total rice production. About 1,00,000 tonne of paddy seeds are feared to be destroyed in the floods. 

 

West Bengal produces nearly 13334 thousand tones of vegetables each year, grown over 943 thousand hectares of land. 

 

In July-August, floods in nine of the 19 districts in the state, including the high rice-productivity districts of Bardhaman, Hooghly, Birbhum and Nadia, destroyed a part of standing crop. 

 

Apart flood, decontrol of fertilizer prices has also added to the price rise, according to Barun Mukherjee, Rajya Sabha MP from Forward Bloc.

YEAR	EXPORTS	IMPORTS	TOTAL TRADE
2010-2011	2039.61	332.51	2372.12
2011-2012	1541.57	401.19	1942.76
2012-13	1837.86	513.23	2351.09
2013-14 (April-June)*	432.16	57.87	490.03

*Provisional figure
Source: DGCIS
Value in dollar million