'Cost of vegetables likely to stabilise by next week'

KOLKATA: Cost of vegetables is likely to stabilise by next week after the rates shot up due to the loss of standing crops because of untimely rain in early December.

"The price of most of the vegetables shot up by Rs 10 to Rs 30 due to short supply. The prices will be back to normal by next week," said Uttam Mukherjee, supervisor of Sealdah's Koley market.

Bitter ground, which was sold at Rs 90 per kg last week, is now available at Rs 60 across different markets in the city. The price of green peas per kg reduced to Rs 60 from Rs 100. Price of capsicum and green chilies touched Rs 120 per kg last week. The same is now available at Rs 100 per kg.

"Today, we are selling fresh potatoes at Rs 25 per kg and inferior quality potatoes at Rs 20. Yesterday, we sold potatoes at Rs 5 higher price," said Sandip, a vegetable vendor at Park Circus Market.

He reiterated that the price of onion was also reduced by Rs 5. Depending upon the quality of onion, the price varied between Rs 45 and Rs 50 on Wednesday. Maharashtra's Nasik supplies onions round the year to Bengal while other states such as Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh export onions to the state three months a year. The onion truck takes four days to reach Bengal from Nasik.