Vegetable prices in Hyderabad have gone through the roof, even at the rythu bazars maintained by the Telangana Agriculture Marketing Department, which are supposed to provide affordable produce. This is being contributed to severe drought conditions, which have caused a drastic fall in production in the areas surrounding Hyderabad.
A kilogram of french beans costs Rs 63. A kg of green chillies costs '68.
“Green chillies were being sold at `100 in Heritage Fresh store. Other vegetables like beans, bitter gourd, brinjal are also very expensive. We came to rythu bazar at Mehdipatnam with the hope that prices will be affordable,” lamented Mohammad Azhar, an employee at a departmental store.
Vegetables prices have been soaring to new heights over the past 20 to 30 days. Recent unseasonal heavy rains also contributed to the rise in prices, as crops were damaged.
Though it is a common phenomenon that vegetable prices soar during the summer months every year, the share of monthly expenditure spent on vegetables has increased this year hugely, thus upsetting the family budget of the common man.
While consumers have been feeling the pinch, the government is accused of taking no steps to reduce the prices. When contacted, a senior official of Telangana Agriculture and Marketing Department, on condition of anonymity, said it is a common phenomenon for vegetable prices to rise in summer and the government cannot do much in this case due to severe drought conditions.
