Thousands of hectares of crops of different varieties were damaged due to the heavy rains and floods the district experienced during the first week of November and the immediate effect of the damage the people are going to experience is sharp rise in the prices of vegetables and leafy vegetables and the likelihood of some popular vegetables like brinjal, lady’s fingers and barabati disappearing from the markets for more than a month within a few days.
But the scene is not very distressing since the leafy vegetables will become very cheap after 10 days and bottle guard in two weeks.
This is the prediction made by the farmer-vendors of the Rytu Bazaar at Seetammadhara when asked about the prices of vegetables. Bokam Yerri Naidu of Tavvanapalem in Sabbavaram mandal said brinjals, lady’s fingers and some other vegetables were coming to the market from some areas not affected - where water did not stagnate - but in most other places the plants were damaged and water still remained in some areas. “If there are no rains now, the brinjal plants we planted afresh will come to crop after Sankranthi. Tomato takes two months and lady’s fingers three months (to come to crop). We also have to take care that they don’t attract pests in this winter season”.
Cauliflower too might come down in quantity. The present arrivals at the markets are from the hill slope areas where water did not stagnate.
Pulamarasetti Eswara Rao, who raises leafy vegetables in Chintala Agraharam in Pendurthi mandal has good news for the consumers. All leaf vegetables, now selling from Rs. 5 to Rs. 8 a bundle will become dirt cheap. But cauliflower which is usually available at Rs. 3 per flower at this time of the year, does not hold such promise.
Vegetables are available very cheap during this season, but this time thanks to the heavy rains and floods the prices have gone up, observed the Estate Office of the Rytu Bazaar T. Krishna Murthy. The consumers add another reason - many avoid non-vegetarian food during the ongoing Kartika masam and the increasing number of Ayyappa devotees too depend only on vegetables.
Mr. Krishna Murthy said that vegetables not available here were being brought from East Godavari and West Godavari depending on the availability there.
The price will come down if there is a large stock. Ridge gourd (beerakaya) made its reentry on Wednesday and its price came down a bit on Thursday, he said.
