A dip in the prices of many vegetables which, only a few days ago cost more, has brought delight to many households in the city.
Traders at the Koyambedu wholesale market attribute this to better arrivals from other states.
Tomatoes, which sold for Rs. 26 per kg last week, were priced at Rs. 15 in retail stores on Saturday. M. Thyagarajan, a wholesale tomato trader, said that wholesale prices have fallen by Rs. 4 per kg and this has reflected in the retail cost as well.
“We usually receive 50 lorry loads of tomatoes daily. This has increased to 65 lorry loads over the past few days, and so the price has gone down,” he said.
Similarly, brinjals and lady’s finger, which sold for Rs. 35 a kg, are available for Rs. 20-25 a kg now.
M. Padma, a resident of Ashok Nagar, said: “I am glad some of the vegetables I use regularly are affordable, compared to last week. I am buying double the quantity of onions and tomatoes now, as the price is unpredictable.”
The cost of cabbage, which sold for over Rs. 25 a kg, has dipped by half this week. Beans and broad beans that topped the list of expensive vegetables are also relatively cheaper now. They were priced at Rs. 40 per kg and Rs. 20 a kg respectively in the wholesale market.
Some of the other vegetables whose prices have come down this week include drumsticks, bitter gourd and green chillies.
However, carrots and green peas are still priced high. Wholesale traders said the present trend would continue for a few more days as this was not the season for weddings and the demand is comparatively lower.
Keywords: vegetable prices, price rise, Koyambedu market
