New Delhi: The common man has started feeling the pinch, as fuel price hike has increased vegetable rates across the country due to rise in transportation costs. Vegetable sellers are worried about falling sales and shrinking profits due to the increased transportation cost and the ultimate hike in the buying price.
Dharmendra Singh, a vegetable vendor in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar told news agency PTI that prices of tomatoes have shot Rs 40 per kg, and potatoes are costing Rs25 per kg. Earlier, it used to be sold for Rs10 per kg, he said.
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Vegetable vendors are unable to make any profit because people are purchasing lesser quantities due to price hike.
“The prices of most of the vegetables have gone up. We hardly make any profit. We buy the vegetables paying a fixed price from the market. With the prices going up, people have also reduced the quantity of vegetables they buy,” he said.
In fact, fruit prices have also skyrocketed in the capital city. Some vendors have stopped offering coriander leaves and green chilies to customers for free. “We no longer give green chilies to customers for free. Lemon is available in the market for Rs350 per kg, which means you would not even get one for Rs10. Capsicum is Rs100 per kg,” said Akhilesh, a vendor in Lajpat Nagar.
Lemon prices have also gone up in Gujarat, Telangana, Kolkata and various other parts of the country. Lemon, especially, has soured the budget of the common man. The price of lemon in the wholesale market is Rs 200 to 250 per kg. When this lemon goes to the retail market, the price goes beyond Rs 300.
In Delhi’s Ghazipur mandi, cabbage, which was selling up to Rs 25 per kg in the wholesale market till last week, is now being sold at Rs 40 per kg. Bhindi has also gone up to Rs 90 a kg. At the same time, capsicum is being sold for Rs 50 to 60 per kg. Ginger is being sold at Rs 60 a kg.
Vegetable prices in In Uttarakhand have also skyrocketed due to fuel price increase.
“The prices of almost all vegetables have increased, lemon is being sold at Rs200-250 per kg and gourd is selling at Rs30-35 per kg in the mandi,” said a vegetable seller.
Fuel prices have witnessed Rs 10 per litre increase or 10.5 per cent in 16 days. Petrol prices have zoomed past Rs100 a litre mark in major cities while diesel prices have already crossed that level in states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.