Express News Service
CHENNAI: With a total lockdown in place on Sunday, retail prices of vegetables such as tomato, potato and onion doubled, burning a whole the buyer’s wallet. This has added to the woes of customers who have already been hit by increased prices of vegetables like beans, cluster beans and coriander over the last 20 days.
Vendors at the vegetable market in Alandur, which primarily caters to residents of Madipakkam, Nanganallur, Adambakkam and Keezhakatalai, attribute the rise in price to increased transportation cost, reduced arrivals at Thirumazhaisai wholesale market and rain in other districts.
Tomato, which was being sold at Rs 20 a kg in the retail market a week ago, is now sold between Rs 45 and Rs 50. Wholesale price of a kg of garlic is Rs 300 and beans, Rs 130, at Thirumazhaisai. Traders attribute the increased retail price to wholesale prices being considerably high.
Retail price of potato, which stood at Rs 35 a kg, is currently between Rs 50 and Rs 55. “Demand for vegetables is always high during weekends and even prices of herbs like coriander and mint have also escalated. A bunch of coriander leaves is being sold at Rs 35 against Rs 10 last week,” says G Moorthy, a wholesaler vendor at the Alandur market.
However, 50 kg of onion, which sells around Rs 8000 to Rs 9000, is expected to come down in the following weeks, he adds. Traders also rue that not many retailers in the city were picking up vegetables from the new wholesale market, resulting in tonnes of veggies going to waste.
N Kirubakaran, a wholesale trader, says, “Lorries arriving from districts and other States have considerably gone down owing to the lockdown and the rains, affecting arrivals.” However, vegetables such as brinjal, radish, chow chow, beetroot and pumpkins are sold at lesser rates. With the Southwest monsoon set to begin soon, traders expect the prices of vegetables to go higher in the days to come.
Rate card
Tomato, sold at Rs 20 per kg in retail a week ago, now sold between Rs 45 and Rs 50
Retail price of potato, which stood at Rs 35 a kg, is currently between Rs 50-Rs 55
Wholesale price of a kg of garlic is Rs 300 and beans, Rs 130, at Thirumazhaisai
