Prices of vegetables set to drop in two weeks

Wholesale price of onion has come down to ₹100 a kg

Drumstick kept for sale at a market in Erode on Wednesday.

Prices of vegetables that skyrocketed in the past one month is all set to fall as fresh arrivals are expected in another two weeks.

Incessant rains in the past two months and planting of new saplings led to prices of vegetables soaring in the past one month. Also, increase in demand led to the prices of essential items, including onion, going up by over 100% in recent days. The wholesale price of onion that touched ₹200 a kg last week at the Nethaji Market dropped to ₹100 a kg on Wednesday.

“Even onion is available for ₹40 a kg on Wednesday as the price started dropping”, said P.P.K. Palanisamy, president of the Nethaji Wholesale Daily Vegetable and Fruit Market Association.

On Wednesday, the wholesale price of drumstick was ₹260 to ₹270 a kg.

Traders said that sharp rise in price is due to decline in arrival from market at Oddanchatram in Dindigul district.

“It is usual that price of drumsticks goes up in November and December as the harvest is less during the period”, said the traders.

Since the price of a drumstick costs between ₹15 to ₹30, most of the consumers keep away from it as they have alternative vegetables, unlike onion, said another trader Manikandan.

Mr. Palanisamy said that prices of vegetables, including onion, drumstick and other essential vegetables would stabilise after harvesting season begins next week. “Cost of vegetables hit the consumers hard in the past two months due to rains and they can heave a sigh of relief after two weeks”, he added.