Why are vegetable prices going through the roof?

Vegetable prices have risen steeply in the past month, due to reduced supply from major producing centres because of a delay in harvesting.

With sowing delayed by over a month because of late onset of monsoon, the kharif season crop is still maturing.

The price of ladies finger (bhindi), for example, shot up by staggering 236 per cent at the Vashi wholesale market, Navi Mumbai, in the past month.

It is now quoting at Rs 2,700 a quintal in the city. It has, doubled in Bengaluru to Rs 2,800 a quintal.

At Delhi’s Azadpur mandi, it is 20 per cent up, at Rs 1,675 a quintal.

“Normally at this time, supply begins from individual fields.

"Especially in northern states, households normally grow a couple of plants in marginal fields.

"But harvest from even individual fields has got delayed due to late sowing of seeds.

Hence, prices continue to move up,” said Samir Inamdar, a bhindi wholesaler at the Vashi Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee.

Brinjal, cabbage and cauliflower are other largely consumed vegetables in every household.

If the price of one begins to rise, so do those of others.

The prices of capsicum and French beans have risen 50 per cent in a month.

The former was Rs 3,600–4,000 a quintal on Tuesday at the Vashi APMC, against Rs 2,400-2,800 a quintal a month before.

French beans have moved to Rs 2,600-2,800 a quintal, from an earlier Rs 2,000-2,600 a quintal.

“Organic vegetables are high in demand today from exporters on large overseas orders.

"That has been driving all vegetables, including unorganic ones, for the past few weeks,” said a senior APMC official.

According to Sanjay Bhujbal, a cauliflower and cabbage wholesaler, consumers will have to bear the brunt of high vegetable prices for two to four weeks at least.

“By then, the kharif crop harvesting will mount to ease supply-side pressure. Supply will also begin from Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and remote locations in Maharashtra,” he said of this city.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority put vegetable export at 9,53,731 tonnes worth $374 million in 2013-14, as compared with 7,68,627 tonnes worth $279 million the previous year.