Vegetable prices skyrocket in Chennai as supply takes a severe hit this month

Vegetable prices surge in city due to weather conditions, supply-demand mismatch, and peak wedding season demand.

The price of several vegetables has increased drastically over the past month in the city and this surge has gone beyond staple vegetables such as tomatoes, biting into the monthly budget of the consumers.

Beans is one of the most expensive vegetables, with 1 kg being sold for ₹140 in the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex on Saturday. The cost of beans had touched a record high of ₹250/kg in May, and the price is now witnessing a sharp uptick for the past 10 days, after a temporary dip. Wholesalers noted that the severe heatwave that was followed by unseasonal rain in various producing States, caused the cost of vegetables to rise.

The city received only one-third of its usual supply of beans from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, apart from Udhagamandalam, on Saturday. Traders recalled that the price of the vegetable had previously soared to ₹200/kg in 2020, when the city was in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

P. Sukumar, treasurer, Koyambedu Vegetables, Fruits, and Flowers Merchants Association, said besides adverse weather conditions and supply-demand mismatch over the past month, the peak demand for the wedding season has also pushed up the prices of vegetables. Most of them have been priced above ₹40/kg in the wholesale market this month.

A bunch of coriander leaves is now priced at ₹25-₹30 in the wholesale market. Tomato costs are also steadily on the rise and priced up to ₹68/kg depending on their variety. “The average price of tomatoes is volatile and dips whenever there are more lorry loads. A few vegetables such as carrot, beetroot, and brinjal are priced relatively low in the wholesale market,” he added.

Several other vegetables such as bitter gourd, chayote, ladies fingers, and broad beans are in the limelight due to the price hike.

Traders wanted better cold storage facilities to curb spiralling prices whenever there is a dip in supply. They expect the prices to stabilise in another fortnight depending on the monsoon. The retail cost of some vegetables has doubled in the last few days at the T. Nagar market, next to the Mambalam railway station.