At the prevailing market prices, even Rs 200 is no longer enough to get you vegetables and fruits for a day. As on Tuesday, capsicum was priced between Rs 44 and Rs 50 per kg, depending upon its quality, in various super markets in the city and mangoes of the Himayat variety were sold for as much as Rs 150 per kg.
Moreover, expect to pay an additional Rs 2-Rs 3 for a small or a medium sized carry bag.
Despite tall claims by the government of having taken measures (like reducing the repo rate) to bring down inflation, prices of vegetables and fruits are shooting up.
“People must carry at least Rs 1,000 if they want to buy vegetables and fruits for a four-member family and if they want the stocks to last for four days to a week. Apple (Fuji) is priced around Rs 150 for a kg and Royal Gala apples sell for Rs 200 - Rs 250 per kg. Green granny smith is sold at Rs 310 per kg. Even pomegranate costs Rs 169 per kg.
Of course the Benishan mango is available for between Rs 60 and Rs 80 per kg in super markets,” said Jaya, a resident of Shyamlal Buildings.
Traders and experts say the prices are only going to get higher in May, June and July. The marriage season that begins in May will further escalate the prices.
While traders and wholesalers blamed lack of supplies from from surrounding districts like Ranga Reddy, Medak, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar, officials attributed the price rise to a plethora of factors such as rising temperature, water scarcity, power cuts and drying up of borewells.
Ramesh, assistant director, horticulture department, said the crop area of vegetables has come down drastically this year due to nonavailability of water and power.
“On an average, 15,000 to 20,000 hectares is cultivated for vegetables. But this year, vegetable crop cultivation has been taken up in less than 10,000 hectares in Ranga Reddy. It is same in other districts as well.” K. Rami Reddy a farmer from Sanga Reddy in Medak, who sells his produce at the wholesale market at Shamirpet from where the supermarkets lift the stocks,
said: “We need to pump borewell water for at least 8 hours for vegetable crop. There is no power supply in villages.
The government says it is supplying 7-hours, but we are getting electricity supply for less than 6 hours,” he said.
The depleting ground water table is another main reason for less production of vegetables this time due to insufficient rains during monsoon2012.
