Due to great yields of vegetables across Maharashtra and neighbouring Karnataka, prices of almost all vegetables come down significantly in Pune. Traders in the city’s wholesale market claim this trend will probably continue until the end of January.
The drop comes after two continuous months of high vegetable prices as the harvest-ready crop was severely damaged due to the heavy rains in September and October. Pune’s market normally sees arrivals also from districts like Nashik, Satara, Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar as well as from Karnataka.
Two months ago, prices of all vegetables had gone up with many of them touching the Rs 100 per kg mark in retail markets in the city. Wholesale prices of green peas in Pune’s wholesale market in October was Rs 10,000 per 100 kgs, while those for okra and tomatoes were Rs 4,500 and Rs 1,600 respectively. Vilas Bhujbal, president of traders and commission agents association of the market, had said the market-ready crop was destroyed which had seen a dip in arrivals and thus a rise in prices.
At present, most vegetables in Pune’ wholesale market are trading between Rs 3,000 and 3,500 per 100 kgs. Green peas has seen a drastic reduction in its prices with wholesale price being at Rs 2,500 per 100 kgs, and retail prices being at Rs 30 per kg. Similarly okra (Rs 3,000 per 100 kgs), tomato (Rs 1,000), bitter gourd (Rs 2,500), cauliflower (Rs 800) and cabbage (Rs 800) have seen significant reduction in their prices.
[ Rs100 = €1.10 ]
