Prices of vegetables are on the rise again, forcing hotels and households to look at ways of bringing vegetable purchases under their monthly budget.
M. Rajendran, president of Thyagi Kumaran Market Vegetable Merchants’ Association, told The Hindu on Friday that the wholesale price of big onion in Coimbatore was Rs. 27 a kg for the best quality. The average price ranged between Rs. 22 and Rs. 27 a kg.
However, the prices are relatively low in Coimbatore compared to other cities.
Coimbatore is getting its supply now from Maharashtra. For the next four months, supply from Maharashtra will be what the farmers and traders have in stock. However, the price quoted at the markets in Maharasthra now is Rs. 26 a kg and the transport cost is almost Rs. 4 a kg. So the traders here are selling at a lower price.
There are about 25 wholesale traders in Coimbatore for onion and prices are relatively low because of competition.
Supply from the farms in Tamil Nadu will start by the end of this month and from Karnataka by next month. Yet, prices of big onion are expected to go up in the coming days, he says.
Though the prices of small onion are very less now, prices of potato are going up.
The wholesale price for small onion is Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 a kg. For potato, it is Rs. 22 to Rs. 25 a kg and it is expected to go up further.
Mr. Rajendran says that though south west monsoon has set in, rainfall was very less last month and this is expected to affect almost all the crops.
Jegan S. Damodarasamy, executive director of Sree Annapoorna Hotel, says labour costs have almost tripled in the last three years. Now, with vegetables prices also shooting up, hotels are affected.
For instance, the price of coriander has shot up to Rs. 100 a kg. Some food items such as coriander chutney or garnishing are common and with prices going up hotels have no choice but to relook at purchase of some of these items. “We are looking at measures to manage the costs,” he says.
Photo caption: Prices of onion and potato have shot up in the last few weeks.
