Year ender: A year of big spending for households as weather and pests destroy horticulture crops 

During the summer season, as mercury levels went up, beans touched one of its all-time highs with a kilogram of the vegetable costing over ₹200 per kg in retail markets. While farmers reported that they only got 30-40% of their usual yield, supply in markets had dropped by 70%. Beans continued to sell at over ₹100 per kg for a few months before it came down to ₹40 - 50 per kg. 

The first few months of drought followed by unseasonal rains disrupted the horticulture crop cycles in Karnataka this year, driving up the prices of most vegetables and fruits throughout the year. The monthly average vegetable–fruit budget of households in Bengaluru went up by at least ₹40 - 50 due to this. 

During the summer season, as mercury levels went up, beans touched one of its all-time highs with a kilogram of the vegetable costing over ₹200 per kg in retail markets. While farmers reported that they only got 30-40% of their usual yield, supply in markets had dropped by 70%. Beans continued to sell at over ₹100 per kg for a few months before it came down to ₹40 - 50 per kg. 

The staple of every kitchen, tomato was also hit by the weather as the prices went as high as ₹120 - 130 per kg and as low as ₹10 per kg as the supply and demand balance was thrown off. After tomatoes reached record prices in 2023, many farmers planted the crop this year which created a glut in the market for some time and pushed the prices down. The crop was also affected by blight and bingi diseases leading farmers into losses. The farmers said that while the diseases have been affecting the crops for years now, the Horticulture Department has not been of much help. 

Onions and garlic also made it to the headlines often this year as trade changes that took place across the country affected the prices here too. The central government’s decision to lift the export ban of onions brought joy to Karnataka farmers. After May, the prices kept climbing up until November when they touched ₹70 - 80 per kg. Customers also found it difficult to get good-quality onions this year.  

For almost two years now, a kg of garlic is selling at anywhere between ₹300 - 500. The advent of Chinese-grown garlic into the State’s markets also created some confusion among buyers as the variety which looks almost similar to the regular variety is reportedly harmful to health. The government officials conducted a raid in October in Udupi APMC and confiscated five quintals of Chinese garlic and took up some inspection in Bengaluru markets too. 

The bad streak continued for mangoes even this year. While experts had predicted that the yield this year will be around 10 – 14 lakh metric tonnes, it dropped by almost 70 – 80% due to pest attacks. Good quality mangoes sold at around ₹200 per kg in markets. 

While these were some of the major developments, the prices of the humble banana, capsicum, and carrots also breached the ₹100 per kg mark during different times of the year. Many farmers also switched from their horticultural crops and leaned towards commercial crops or agricultural crops this year due to their climate resistant qualities.