Prices of some vegetables are rising at the Koyambedu wholesale market for a few days now because of a shortage in supply.
Drumstick, being sold at ₹110 a kg, is now the costliest vegetable in the market. Wholesale traders said the vegetable was being received from Ahmedabad. Prices may dip in a fortnight when trucks from Chidambaram, Oddanchatram and Andhra Pradesh bring drumsticks.
Similarly, the prices of okra, onion and potato had shot up. While okra was sold for up to ₹60 a kg on Monday, onion was available for ₹40 a kg. A dip in arrivals from Maharashtra and Telangana had pushed up the prices. The lifting of a ban on onion exports this month had led to a slight increase in the prices, said P. Sukumar, treasurer, Koyambedu Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers Merchants’ Association.
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“We expect better arrivals of onions and potatoes from February. Potatoes are costly by 10%-15% this week because of less production,” he said. However, most other vegetables are priced at less than ₹25 a kg in the wholesale market, and this trend may continue till summer. Although the number of trucks bringing vegetables to the market increased by 20% compared to December, traffic congestion, particularly on Mondays and weekends, deterred many retailers from making a purchase. This led to a drop in sales.
S. Chandran, president, Koyambedu Periyar Wholesale Market Licensed Merchants Association, said the arrival of beans and brinjal decreased by 50% on Monday. “Whenever the market opens after a holiday, vehicles have to wait for two or three hours. As one of the approach roads from Poonamallee High Road has been closed, traffic pile-up has become regular,” he said.
“About 2,500 retailers’ vehicles visit the market daily, apart from 400-450 trucks. Measures must be taken to regulate the vehicles’ movement and they must be allowed in batches, just like in Thirumazhisai,” he said,
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