Kolkata: Kolkata’s festive kitchens are feeling the heat as with Kali Puja and Bhai Phonta just around the corner, city shoppers are reeling under a steep spike in vegetable prices.
Most markets, including Baithakkhana Market, Lake Market, and Koley Market, have revealed that the prices of almost all common vegetables have seen an exorbitant rise over the past week.
Traders blame the twin blow of relentless rainfall and spiralling transport costs for the crisis. Waterlogged roads have thrown supply chains into disarray, delaying trucks from Hooghly, East Midnapore, and North 24-Parganas — leaving market shelves thin and pockets lighter across Kolkata.
At Lake Market, the price surge has left shoppers visibly shaken. Tomatoes that sold for Rs 40 a kilo last week are now Rs 70, while brinjals have jumped from Rs 60 to a staggering Rs 100 per kg. Drumsticks have hit Rs 200, and spinach is selling at Rs 80.
Though it’s still early for cauliflower season, the vegetable has made a premature entry — priced at Rs 60–70 per piece. In Baithakkhana Market, beans and cabbage are nearly 30 per cent costlier than usual. Even Koley Market, the city’s wholesale nerve centre, reports that prices of everyday staples have climbed — though the hike there is relatively milder.
Vegetable seller Sujit Roy from Baithakkhana Market said: “Buyers are purchasing much less than before. Even regular customers are cutting down on quantity because of the high prices. People are hesitating to buy leafy vegetables or seasonal items.”
Another seller from Lake Market informed: “The trucks carrying vegetables had to pay a high contribution to the Puja committees while entering the city. This might affect the price in this festive season.”
A member of the state market monitoring task force acknowledged the surge in prices but assured that the situation is being closely watched.
“We are in touch with wholesale distributors and transporters. Prices are expected to stabilise once the festive season ends and the winter vegetables enter the market,” said Rabindranath Koley, member of the task force.