Visakhapatnam: In a major respite to Vizagites, who have been reeling under the pressure of higher commodity prices, the prices of most vegetables witnessed a steep fall over the last few weeks. The vegetables prices, which saw a rise till about the end of January, have been crashing from their months-long high, due to the abundant supply of local produce. The prices were initially thought to have been come down by December end, but the untimely rains during the November-December months had caused a huge loss to the vegetable crops in AP and farmers had to go again for another round of planting.
Onions and tomatoes, staples in many households, are seeing a rapid fall in their prices. Onions are presently being sold at Rs 14 a kilo in rythu bazars and Rs 20-25 in supermarkets, which were Rs 40 a kg a month back. Broad beans, carrots, okra and ridge gourd are not an exception. The potatoes, which usually sell at Rs 25 to Rs 40 a kg, are currently sold at Rs 11 a kg registering a threefold drop in price. Speaking to this correspondent, P. Vijaya Lakshmi, a consumer who came to the Rythu Bazaar, said that she bought 10 kilos of tomatoes given its very low prices of `8 to prepare a pickle. “The prices have finally come down within the reach of the common man,” she added.
The traders, on their part, are also a happy lot. Lova Raju, a vegetable trader at Siripuram, informed the vegetable sales have improved compared to the last few months. On the reason behind the steep fall, Estate Officer of MVP Rythu Bazaar, P. Jagadeswararao, said that the availability of local produce in the end of January made the prices register the low prices. “The heavy rains in December had made the farmers go for a fresh crop of vegetables and other short-term food crops. But finally with the arrival of local produce, the vegetables became affordable for the common man,” Mr Jagadeeswararao added. But with the escalating real-estate market in Visakhapatnam district, the extent of farmland has been decreasing with each passing year.
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