Heat hits supply of vegetables, prices up by around Rs10 per kg

Indore: Prices of several vegetables have increased sharply in the past five days in Indore as arrivals declined due to rising temperature, though weak demand from hotels and caterers has capped a steeper surge.Traders said the heat has affected harvesting in nearby producing regions, leading to lower arrivals in wholesale markets.Vegetables such as green chilli, cluster beans, raw mango, okra and drumsticks have seen price rise of Rs 10-15 per kg during the past few days.Currently, raw mango is selling at around Rs 55-65 per kg in the wholesale market, while green chilli is priced at Rs 50-60 per kg. Cluster beans are trading at Rs 40-45 per kg, while okra and drumsticks are selling at Rs 35-40 per kg.Asif Mansori, a vegetable seller at Choithram market, said daily arrivals have dropped sharply in recent days."Supplies from nearby farms and villages have declined significantly because of the heat. Arrivals in the market have fallen and that has led to a jump in vegetable prices," Mansori said.Supplies from the Nimar region, which contributes more than 60 percent of the vegetable arrivals in Indore markets, have also slowed due to weather conditions, traders said.Vegetable traders said the rise could have been steeper if bulk demand from food businesses had remained normal."The prices could have gone much higher, but disruptions in LPG cylinder supplies have reduced purchases from caterers and hotels. That has capped the gains," said Rakesh Patidar, a vegetable supplier in the Choithram wholesale market.Customers said the sudden price rise is affecting household budgets."Vegetable prices have increased in the past few days. Items like chilli and okra have become noticeably expensive compared to last week," said Rinki Gupta, a resident of Indore.Wholesale market operators said if temperature continue to rise and arrivals remain limited, vegetable prices are likely to remain firm in the coming days.