Kerala - Kochi   

Vegetable prices shooting up

KOCHI: Crop losses in certain parts of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu combined with an increasing demand in the north Indian markets at the onset of winter have pushed up the price of vegetables significantly over the last fortnight.

The price of eggs, buoyed by higher demand in upcountry locations, too has gone up over the last two weeks.

Sources in the Kerala State Horticulture Development Corporation (Horticorp) said that prices of items like onions, both big and small, sourced from locations in Maharashtra had gone up significantly because of loss of stocks in the floods during the monsoon.

Besides, this is the fag end of the season for some of the vegetables, notably onions, and supply levels are expected to pick up only by early January.

According to data from the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK), the price of big onions went up to Rs.30 a kg in the wholesale market (as on Wednesday) from Rs.15.50 a kg in the wholesale market on November 19, 2008.

The price of small onion has gone up to Rs.26 a kg in the wholesale market on Wednesday as against Rs.22 on November 19, 2008.

The retail prices had proportionately increased over the last year.

Horticorp sources said that the quality of onions varied in the market and that prices were ranging between Rs.27 and Rs.30 in the wholesale market.

Prices have considerably gone up over the last fortnight.

For instance, the wholesale price of big onions was Rs.21 a kg on November 2 this year.

The wholesale price of banana (nendran) has gone up to Rs.26 a kg in the Kerala wholesale market on Wednesday.

The price of the produce was Rs.12 a kg on November 19, 2008.

The price of other varieties of bananas; and vegetables like pumpkin, green chillies, brinjal, cowpea (achinga), beans, carrots, beetroot, cauliflower, bhindi, cabbage and potatoes too have shown relative increase over the last fortnight.

Meanwhile, the price of eggs in the wholesale market here has touched a record of Rs.3.10 per piece.

Eggs are selling at Rs.3.25 in the retail market. About 15 days ago the price of eggs was Rs.3 a piece, market sources said.

Higher demand in upcountry markets has forced buyers there to source their stocks from places like Namakkal and Hyderabad, sources added.

Ernakulam and the surrounding markets receive four lorry-loads of eggs daily on an average.

Each lorry load brings 1.5 lakh eggs.

Market sources said that the price was not expected to come down until the second half of January as the winter season sees a peak in demand in most parts of the country.

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