R. Sundari used to shop at a retail vegetable store until last month. But now, she is scouting for wholesale shops or those that provide subsidies.
With costs fast spiralling, she no longer minds the crowds or the fact that she needs to spend more time to buy vegetables.
Of late, the queues have become longer at the Farm Fresh outlets run by the cooperative department, as more people throng to buy vegetables at subsidised rates. The daily sales at the 40 outlets in the city have increased from nearly 8,400 kg on July 2 to about 11,400 kg now.
ADVERTISEMENT
Customers said they prefer to buy onions and tomatoes at the Farm Fresh outlets as they are priced at Rs. 30 and Rs. 48 per kg, respectively, at least Rs. 10-Rs. 20 lower than the open market price. They have also suggested that the mobile vans that bring vegetables to their doorsteps be operated on more routes.
Ms. Sundari of Anna Nagar said: “I visit a Farm Fresh outlet or the Koyambedu market to save on my bill. I sparingly use costly vegetables like beans (Rs. 92/kg) and carrot (Rs. 78/kg).”
Non-vegetarians are not finding it any easier as the cost of seafood and meat is also on the rise.
ADVERTISEMENT
Officials of the cooperative department said the 40 Farm Fresh outlets and two mobile vans in the city are making daily sales of Rs. 4.4 lakh, double that of last month.
Traders in the Koyambedu wholesale market said the wholesale price of onion had dropped slightly since last week owing to fresh arrival of produce from Madhya Pradesh.
“However, the price of tomato has skyrocketed as lorry loads from Karnataka, meant for the city, are being diverted to Bihar and Orissa as these states are also suffering crop failure. We expect prices to dip, once more produce arrives from Karnataka in a month,” said V.R. Soundararajan, a wholesale merchant.