Vegetable prices soar in Delhi due to high transportation cost

New Delhi: Vegetable prices in Delhi and adjoining areas have shot up due to an increase in the transportation cost following the fuel price hike, leaving the customers as well as the sellers struggling. Vegetable sellers say they are facing shrinking profits and reduced sales as due to the increased transportation cost and the ultimate hike in the buying price, they are bound to sell vegetables at a higher price, which means either a low margin for them or limited sales.

Dharmendra Singh, a vegetable vendor in Lajpat Nagar, said the prices of vegetables have gone up.

"Tomatoes are now being sold for Rs 40 per kg whereas earlier, the price was between Rs 25 and Rs 30. Bottle gourd is now being sold for Rs 40 per kg. Even the price of potatoes has gone up. It is now available for Rs 25 per kg. Earlier, it used to be sold for Rs 10 per kg.

"The prices of most of the vegetables have gone up. We hardly make any profit. We buy the vegetables paying a fixed price from the market. Another problem is that we do not get to choose the vegetables at the mandis. We are given a fixed slot and some times, inferior quality vegetables get mixed up. With the prices going up, people have also reduced the quantity of vegetables they buy," he said.

Akhilesh, another vendor in Lajpat Nagar, said the prices of fruits too have also gone up.

"It is the summer season and watermelons are always in demand. Earlier, we used to sell it for Rs 20 or Rs 25 but now, it is being sold for Rs 30. We get watermelons for Rs 27 from the mandis, so we hardly make any profit," he said.

Some vendors said they have stopped giving coriander leaves and green chilies to customers for free.

"We no longer give green chilies to customers for free. Lemon is available in the market for Rs 350 per kg, which means you would not even get one for Rs 10. Capsicum is Rs 100 per kg. Then the customers bargain. They know that the prices have gone up, but still they ask for chilies for free," Akhilesh said.

Deepak Ranjan, a vegetable seller at Sector 76 in Noida, also echoed similar views and pointed out that the rates have gone up at the vegetable markets due to the fuel price hike, coupled with damage of crops in Gujarat due to a cyclone.

"Due to the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, the transportation cost has increased, causing a ripple effect on vegetable prices. The rates of lemons are soaring because of a natural calamity in Gujarat, while other vegetables that come from different states have become costlier due to the high transportation cost," he told.