Cooking your favourite dish with beans this summer may be an expensive affair. Beans is among the costly vegetables and comes with a retail price tag of nearly ₹160 a kg in the city.
Dip in yield
The dip in yield in neighbouring States and searing heat has affected the arrivals to the Koyambedu wholesale market, which is the hub of perishable goods in Chennai. Wholesale traders noted that the market received only half the load on Monday against the usual of 10 lorry loads of beans daily. The vegetable was being sold at a price of ₹130 a kg in the wholesale market.
However, there are chances for the prices to drop as produce from Udhagamandalam would begin to arrive in the market in the next few days.
The cost of most vegetables has spiralled by 20%-25% due to searing heat and lack of rain.
Short supply cited
Tomatoes are now being sold for double the rate in the wholesale market at ₹40 a kg. Prices of bitter gourd and snake gourd have gone up owing to short supply. The market gets only 300 truck loads of vegetables against its normal daily share of 375 truck loads, traders said.
P. Sukumar, treasurer, Koyambedu Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers Merchants Association, said ladies fingers, onions and brinjals were available for the same rate as last month. Drumstick and cucumber are arriving in plenty as this is the season.
Raw mangoes are also priced at ₹40-60 a kg and the market would receive more produce in 10 days.
“Sales has been dull by 30% due to escalating cost and summer vacation. We expect the price to decrease in May when fresh stock comes in from other States,” he said.
