Winter vegetables remain pricey at city markets, potato now at 35
Times of India | 8 December 2024
123 Kolkata: While the price of potatoes has slightly lowered and settled at Rs 35/kg, winter vegetables are maintaining a steady high price even at the end of the first week of Dec, which is unusual. Members of Bengal's agricultural marketing task force said there is a significant gap between the procurement price of the vegetables by the traders and rates at which they are sold in retail markets.
A cauliflower is still retailing at Rs 30 a piece, while cabbage is priced at Rs 50/kg. "You will hardly get any winter vegetables except radish and bottle gourd below Rs 50/kg. This is really unacceptable during this period of time," said Ranjan Banerjee, a resident of Bagbazar.
Interestingly, it was found that many winter vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, spinach and others have recently had sufficient local supplies with a substantially low wholesale price. Unfortunately, consumers are not benefiting from this when buying the vegetables from retail markets.
"We are trying hard to keep a strict vigil on vegetable price in retail markets, but we have limited manpower to handle 558 markets across Kolkata," said Kamal Dey, a member of the agricultural marketing task force. "This year, Bengal recorded plenty of cauliflower production and has already started replacing Ranchi production in retails," Dey added.
During a field visit to Koley market in Sealdah, TOI found that for bulk purchases by retailers, local cabbage, mostly from Bhangar and Basirhat, wholesaling is happening at a flat price of Rs 15/kg, spinach at Rs 15-20/kg and good quality local cauliflower at Rs 10-15 per piece.
Similarly, capsicum has started arriving from Nadia, 24 Parganas and Murshidabad, reducing reliance on year-long supply from Karnataka. Wholesale rates of the same is Rs 40-50/kg. But in retail markets, it still hovers at its old price of Rs 80-100/kg. In last few days, good quality brinjal has started reaching from Bongaon and Krishnagore, which has helped reduce its price in retail markets to Rs 50/kg from Rs 80-100/kg. While the local supply chain of green peas is yet to be activated, supplies from Himachal and Karnataka are sold at Rs 70-80/kg at wholesale markets. "I bought green peas on Friday at Rs 120 per kg. Tomatoes are still stuck at Rs 60 per kg," said Shreosi Ganguly, a homemaker.
"Local productions of tomato are yet to reach in plenty at Kolkata markets," said Rabindranath Koley, another member of the task force.
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