Due to the steep rise in the price of fruits and vegetables recently, over 58 per cent of middle and low income group families in Delhi have switched to pre-cooked and ready-to-eat food items to keep the kitchen budget intact, a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has revealed.
Stating that “the fear of bad monsoon has suddenly hiked vegetable and fruit prices by 300 per cent from the farm to your dining table,” the ASSOCHAM has observed that due to this sharp hike over 88 per cent of middle income group (MIG) and lower income group (LIG) families were finding it difficult to manage their household budgets.
The survey, which sampled 5,000 people across Delhi and other metropolitan cities, said while the salary of the average common man had gone up by 10 per cent to 15 per cent in the last three years, the prices of vegetables had risen a whopping 250 per cent to 300 per cent.
It said the maximum impact of the price rise was felt in Delhi, followed by Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.
While the prices of most of the widely consumed vegetables has gone up due to the onset of monsoon, a marked rise in the prices of commonly used vegetables like tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and potatoes has impacted the people the most.
While releasing the survey, ASSOCHAM secretary general D.S. Rawat said fruits have also become a luxury for the lower middle class. Ironically, he said, “one spends less on buying a litre of fruit juice than a kilo of fresh fruits.The survey said 86 per cent of the respondents said that rising food prices had made their life tougher.
