Vegetable prices in Hyderabad skyrocket to pinch consumers’ pockets

HYDERABAD : Soaring vegetable prices continue are pinching the pockets of consumers in the city. On Thursday, vendors and consumers said that the prices of essential vegetables such as tomatoes and green chillies have shot up by at least Rs 10 compared to last week.

At Erragadda Rythu Bazaar, a customer was heard asking, “Tomato kaisa?” He walked away as the vendor replied that 1 kg of tomatoes cost Rs 75, up from Rs 41 a week ago, according to the Telangana Rythu Bazar website. “That’s an increase of Rs 30 in just a week,” Yousuf Khan, a consumer, told TNIE. The vendor mentioned that the tomatoes were sourced from Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh. Khan observed a similar price hike across almost all vegetables.

As per the website, Grade-I onions and potatoes cost Rs 35 a kilogram last week. While the price of onions came down to Rs 30 on Thursday, potatoes were being sold for Rs 80 a kilogram.

Another consumer, Shabana, said, “Even the prices of green chillies have shot up.” Compared to Rs 65 last week, 1 kg of green chillies cost Rs 80 on Thursday. She also expressed shock at the price of one bunch of mint leaves and coriander leaves, which cost Rs 20 and Rs 30 respectively on Thursday.

Speaking to TNIE, Dr R Vijaya Kumari, Principal Investigator at the Agricultural Market Intelligence Centre of the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) in Hyderabad, attributed the price hike mainly to intermittent rainfall. She said, “While intermittent rains damaged crops in several districts, demand sustained.”

Dr Kumari noted that similar situations prevailed in neighbouring states like Karnataka and rising transportation costs are also a factor.

According to the principal investigator, prices will drop only when Kharif crops are harvested. She added, “So far, we have not received the rainfall required for Kharif crops.”