Garlic price doubles to over ₹350 kg in a week
The price of garlic has skyrocketed in wholesale and retail markets due to a shortage in produce and arrivals. Traders say the situation will normalize in a month. People are cutting down on purchases due to the high prices.
Traders say situation will normalize in a month; people cut down on purchases
NAVI MUMBAI: The price of garlic has yet again skyrocketed in wholesale and retail markets due to the drastic fall in produce and arrival. Garlic priced at ₹140 per kg last week, is now priced at ₹350-375 per kg at the Vashi wholesale market, which supplies agricultural produce to MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region).
The situation is expected to ease only after a couple of weeks when the new produce arrives and will take a month to normalise.
Buyers are upset at the skyrocketing price and have decided to cut down on purchases and their consumption of the produce.
According to Suryakant Ghodekar, a wholesaler at the market, the arrivals in the market are not enough. “The stock from Gujarat is ending, and some stock is coming from Madhya Pradesh. There is a shortage all over the country,” Ghodekar said.
“The demand from the South is huge. At least 1 lakh bags of garlic are needed for consumption in the country. It is not available, and hence, the market is tight. We have received only around 1500 bags today.”
Speaking on how long the market will remain high, he said, “The situation will be tight for at least 15 days. The price will not go below ₹200 per kg till then. It will take at least a month for the situation to fully normalise as the new stock will arrive in full flow by then.”
The demand for garlic has died down due to high costs retailers are taking small quantities only if they have to.
The situation in the retail market, too, has turned grim. “The situation is very bad. The retail price has gone up from ₹280-300 per kg just last week to ₹520-600 per kg now,” Devdas Shinde, a retailer at Vashi, said. “Customers are not buying. They ask the price and on learning that it has shot up so high, simply walk off. There is very little sale.”
Resident of the sector 9 market Sarita Chavan, says that the rising of prices is understandable, but this is just simply fleecing people. “There is no logic for such a high price for garlic, and no point spending so much for it hence I did not purchase it.”
Chavan added, “I already have some stock of it at home and will manage with it. I will wait for the price to come down before making any purchase. We are already burdened with so many expenses, cannot add to it any further.”
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.