BANGALORE: This summer too, there has been an increase in the prices of vegetables such as beans, tomatoes and capsicum.

However, the prices of other vegetables such as cucumber, ginger, onion and potatoes remain more or less the same.

The increase in prices is attributed to shortage of water, reduction in yield and quality of the produce and inappropriate weather conditions.

Over the past month, the price of vegetables such as beans has increased from Rs. 8 a kg to Rs. 28 a kg; capsicum from Rs. 10 a kg to Rs. 32 a kg; and tomatoes from Rs. 5 a kg to Rs. 14 a kg, said Mohammad Ibrahim, a vegetable vendor at Russell Market.

Bangalore gets most of its vegetable supply from Devanahalli, Hoskote and Kolar.

With temperatures crossing the 40 degrees Celsius in these parts, most of the vegetables are not able to withstand the heat, which directly leads to shortage in supply.

Also due to the general trend during summer, the unscheduled power shutdown and the depleted groundwater table have resulted in reduced yields. The phase is expected to improve soon as the monsoon sets in, Mr. Ibrahim said.

"Tomatoes used to be sold at Rs. 2 a kg. The price has crossed Rs. 10 a kg. The quality is also not all that good. Good quality vegetables have become rare in the market," said Sandhya R.M., a housewife.

She said she was now spending almost double the amount she used to earlier on vegetables. "The summer has inconvenienced us not just with increase in temperatures but also with the steep increase in vegetable prices," she added.

Rekha Tiwari, a personnel manager in a multinational company, said, "I can afford to spend on vegetables. But what about those living below the poverty line? The Government should have a body to monitor the vegetable prices and make sure they do not increase beyond a point."

Fruits

But there is good news for fruit lovers. The market is flooded with many seasonal and non-seasonal fruits. "The fruit market is unaffected by summer. The fruit supply has remained more or less the same. However, the mango yield this year has drastically come down due to insufficient rainfall," said Sundar, a fruit vendor at the market.

Apples are priced around Rs. 80 a kg, mangoes at Rs. 200 a dozen, while grapes, which are non-seasonal, are being sold at Rs. 120 a kg.

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