The upswing of vegetable prices continued on Sunday with diesel prices marching towards Rs 95 a litre. However, the agriculture marketing department sources predicted a steeper price rise in the
coming days with the supply line hitting an unprecedented low with record damage to crops this season.
“Though some vegetables that were under flood water were sold dirt cheap, you cannot preserve them for more than 24 hours, even in refrigerators. But the water has prevented farmers from growing fresh vegetables and this will affect the supply line at least for the next couple of weeks, pushing up prices further,” said Kamal Dey, a member of the market task force of the Bengal government.

“The good quality brinjal crossed the Rs 100 mark. Prices of beans, carrot and capsicum breached the Rs 150 mark. Bitter gourd was sold at Rs 90-Rs 100 a kg, forcing buyers to purchase lower quantities than usual. Vendors are also bringing fewer vegetables due to the restricted selling window of four hours,” said Dilip Adhikari, a retailer at Jadubabur Bazar.

“The quality of vegetables available is poor and they are rotting faster. So we are buying less and coming to markets daily. The prices are also very high. Unless the diesel price stabilizes, we will keep burning holes in our pockets,” said Arup Roy, a school teacher from Behala.

“The price rise of essentials can majorly be attributed to costlier fuel. The carrying cost had risen manifold and it is being revised almost on a daily basis,” said state’s agri-adviser Pradeep Mazumdar. This is why the price of a commodity which is low at the rural market becomes costly in city markets, he said.

“Except Nadia, stretches in Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas are inundated. The vegetable supply to haats in these districts has reduced by one-fourth,” said Dey, also the president of West Bengal Vendors’ Association.

Source from: Falguni Banerjee(2021). West Bengal: Rising diesel price makes veggies dearer. Retrieve from: The Times of India(Jun 21, 2021). https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/rising-diesel-price-makes-veggies-dearer/articleshow/83698261.cms