With the demand for fruits and juices going up this summer, prices are skyrocketing in the city. Except mangoes, stocks of other fruits are hardly seen at the stalls. Prices of mangoes have also gone up due to sudden rain and gales that occurred in several parts of this region a couple of days ago.
At Rythu Bazars, traders are selling mangoes at Rs.150 to Rs.200 a dozen, bananas at Rs.40 and above, watermelon costs Rs.50 each, apple, Rs.50 each, pomegranate, Rs.70 each, single rock melon costs Rs.40 and grapes, Rs.120 a kilo.
Fruit merchants say that prices would go up further as arrivals of stocks are coming down and demand is expected to increase in the next 15 days. “As the temperatures soars, demand for fruits is increasing by the day,” traders say.
“Flowering was good in mango orchards this year and we expect bumper crop. But, the untimely rain has shattered the hopes of farmers and traders.
Due to gales, fruit-dropping occurred and the produce was damaged, leading to loss to the farmer as well as the trader,” said a farmer B. Sattaiah of Nunna.
“We import fruits from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other cities and neighbouring districts. But, the arrivals have come down due to increased demand in the local markets there,” a fruit vendor M. Masenu said.
Watermelon has a good demand during summer. But there are no stocks as the produce was almost exhausted by May first week.
Fruit merchants procure watermelons from Nagayalanka, Avanigadda and other places in Krishna district, said a vendor U. Appa Rao.
A woman, S. Lavanya, appealed to the government to arrange fruit stalls at Rythu Bazars and sell fruits at reasonable prices.
