Vegetable prices go through roof in Gurgaon

With the arrival of monsoon, the prices of green vegetables in the city have almost doubled over the past two weeks.

Attributing the price rise to the recent floods in several parts of north India, wholesalers say that the price of most vegetables has gone up by 80-90 per cent. Tomatoes, which were available at R10-30/kg a fortnight ago, are now selling at R30-50/kg. Cauliflower has jumped from R15-40/kg to R35-50/kg while capsicum has taken a leap from R10-20/kg to R25-35/kg in the wholesale market.

According to the Gurgaon Market Committee, the arrival of vegetables in the mandi has come down by over 40%. "The prices of most green vegetables have increased as the arrivals have come down drastically. The main reason behind the increase in prices is that vegetables were destroyed during the recent floods in the neighbouring cities," said Viney Yadav, secretary-cum-executive engineer, Market Committee.

Most of the green vegetables available in Gurgaon come from outside the city. Maximum procurement is made from the Yamuna belt in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Vegetables are also obtained from Sonipat, Karnal and Panipat in Haryana while some vegetables like capsicum are brought from hilly areas like Himachal Pradesh, said officials of the market committee.

The residents are struggling to manage the budget with runaway increase in vegetable prices. They are left with no other choice but to restrict their consumption.

Restaurant owners complain that it is becoming difficult to handle business with the increased prices. "We buy vegetables on a daily basis and the cost of production has almost doubled with price of vegetables shooting up," said Sunil Kumar, a restaurant owner in Sector 31.

The recent hike in fuel price is likely to aggravate the situation. While petrol and diesel prices in Gurgaon were increased on Saturday, CNG prices would also be increased soon. Most of the vegetables in Gurgaon come from outside the city.