Kitchen budget on fire as showers drown farms, damage crops, drive up veggie prices
Times of India | 27 September 2024
Kolkata: Continuous heavy rainfall has submerged large swathes of farmland, severely damaging standing crops and leading to a sharp rise in vegetable prices across Kolkata’s markets. This sudden price hike is straining household budgets just before the festival season.
While the market saw no major fluctuations in the past week, the prices of several vegetables surged by Rs 20 to Rs 40.
Key items, like brinjal, bitter gourd, cucumber, tomato and pointed gourd, have witnessed significant price hikes. Pointed gourd (parwal), which was selling for Rs 40 just days ago, has now skyrocketed to Rs 100 per kilogram. Other essentials, like tomato, cucumber, bitter gourd, capsicum and eggplant, have also breached the Rs 100 per kg mark.
Significant price variations were observed between different city markets as well. Vegetables at Maniktala market were more expensive compared to those at markets in south Kolkata, such as Lake Market.
“The continuously rising vegetable prices have hit us hard just before the festive season. We’re trying to balance our meals by avoiding costly items. But after striking most of them off the list, there’s little left to choose from. Maintaining basic nutrition and taste in our daily meals has become a real challenge,” said Anindita Ghosh, a householder and advocate.
Vendors are feeling the impact, too. Dilip Mondal, a vendor at Lake Market, said: “We grade the produce before selling it. If we don’t sell the larger and better-quality vegetables at a slightly higher price, we incur losses when selling the smaller, lower-quality items.”
Nitesh Saha, a vendor from Maniktala, said, “We only sell A-class produce with no compromise on quality. But in this situation, vegetables that can’t be stored for long will start to spoil. If the crops continue to rot, prices will rise further.”
Farmers are bearing the brunt of the problem. Abdur Rohim, a farmer from Bhangar, said, “It’s been rain after rain, causing more damage. The water was just starting to recede but the rain returned. We farm on low-lying land, which is now waterlogged. Even if the sun comes out, the plants may not survive due to prolonged submersion.”
With no immediate end to the rain in sight and damage to crops mounting, vegetable prices are expected to rise more in the coming days.