Vegetable prices in Delhi up by 50%

Vegetable prices in wholesale markets in the national capital have risen by at least 50 per cent in the past one week due to export of key vegetables to Pakistan, says an Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) member.

“Prices in the wholesale market were more or less stable during last month but with the start of this month, prices have started increasing,” Azadpur Mandi APMC member Mahinder Kumar said.

Kumar said prices of tomatoes have doubled in past week from Rs 10-15 a kg to Rs 25-30 a kg. Besides tomatoes, other vegetables which are exported to the neighbouring country are peas, capsicum and lady finger.

Peas which were available in the wholesale markets in Delhi for Rs 20 a kg is now being sold around Rs 30 a kg and similarly the prices of capsicum have gone up to Rs 70 a kg from Rs 45 a kg a week ago, Kumar said.

At Azadpur mandi, cauliflower is available at Rs 23 a kg now, against Rs 7 a kg in the corresponding period last year. Cabbage is available at Rs 27 a kg against Rs 17 a kg, while carrot prices are ruling at Rs 12 a kg as against Rs 5 a kg in the review period, according to APMC data.

Traders at the ADP Mandi said wholesale prices of Potato had also increased to Rs 20 a kg from Rs 10-15 a kg a week ago.

However, the prices of one of the key vegetable, onion, is more or less stable around Rs 15-20 a kg. Another APMC member Surrender Bukhara said, “Despite the increase in prices of other vegetables, the onion prices are stable currently.”

The government, on the other hand, on Tuesday termed the rise in vegetable prices in the national capital as “temporary phenomenon”. It said transportation bottlenecks due to rains and extreme cold weather had led to the supply disruption of some produce.

Agriculture Secretary Ashish Bahuguna said the supply would get better in the coming days once the weather improves. He said there are no reports as of now about crop damage due to cold weather.

Asked if export of key veggies to Pakistan has caused price increase, the secretary said, “There is a limit on what we export to Pakistan. The borders cannot handle more than a particular quantity.”