Consumers may get to save on their food bills with the cost of many vegetables dropping significantly over the last week.
The price of tomatoes, which was Rs. 50 in November, has come down to a reasonable Rs. 10- Rs. 15 per kg in the retail market.
Several residents said they bought double the usual quantity when they saw price tag of tomatoes (local variety) at Rs.10 per kg and hybrid tomatoes at Rs.13-Rs.15/kg in retail stores. Most vegetables now come at a wallet-friendly price now.
“I don’t remember buying tomatoes at such low prices in recent years. I am also buying more of green peas (Rs. 30/kg), carrots (Rs. 32/kg) and drumsticks (Rs. 55/kg) as they are cheaper than last month,” said C. Ragini, a resident of Anna Nagar.
The Koyambedu market is receiving nearly 80 lorry-loads of tomatoes daily — nearly double the usual number.
Traders noted that the cost of vegetables dips during winter season. But, this year, most vegetables are cheaper by nearly 30 per cent when compared to February last year.
M. Thyagarajan, a wholesale tomato merchant, said several farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka cultivated tomato crops as the price shot up to Rs. 50 per kg. More yields have resulted in a significant drop in the price of tomatoes.
Tomatoes are being sold for Rs. 5 in the wholesale market. M.R. Mohan, a wholesale onion and tomato merchant, said even onions that once burnt a hole in consumers’ pockets, have become affordable now.
One sack consisting of 50 kg of onions is sold for Rs. 500 in the wholesale market.
“We are now getting fresh stocks of onions from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The price will dip further once the city starts getting loads from Maharashtra,” he said.
Traders said that many vegetable shops are doing brisk business.
Coconuts (Rs. 15-Rs. 20/piece) and bitter gourd (Rs. 40/per kg) are among the costlier items. V.R. Soundararajan, a wholesale trader, said the market was receiving over 300 lorry-loads of vegetables daily, against the usual supply of 200 loads.
The prices are expected to be stable for another month.
