By: Apurva Bhatt

Housewives across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai have started complaining about the uneven price scenario of vegetables.

Remarks Ragini Jain a housewife from Dadar, “While prices of drumsticks have come down by half in two weeks, other veggies like ladies finger, potato and onion are very high.” In the last two weeks two staple vegetables within Mumbaikars' reach, drumstick, which sold at Rs 80-100 a kg till last week in the retail market, is now available for half the rate at Rs 40-50. Another kitchen essential, tomato, is being similarly sold at Rs 20-30 a kg compared with Rs 40-50 a few days ago. Despite the peak winter season, prices of all the other vegetables have remained high around Rs 60-80 a kg due to supply crunch across Maharashtra.

Unseasonal rains and hailstorms had damaged much of the produce before harvesting began. When asked about this scenario to Vajubhai Patel a wholesale trader from APMC, Vashi “The produce is 30 to 40 % less hence demand is more, so prices will not come down.” Mumbaikars are clueless about the reason for high prices of lady finger, cauliflower, green chilli, cabbage, capsicum, beans and brinjal. "Those vegetables whose supply is less, is the indicator that the season for them is ending. This has kept prices high," said Rambhau Kesarkar, a vegetable vendor from Kurla. 

Confirms Dinesh Vora, a whosesale tarder from APMC, Vashi, “Except for tomato, drumstick and green peas, other vegetables are being sold at high prices due to limited supply from agricultural areas both in the state and outside. There's no further chance of fall in prices of other vegetables in the coming days as the season is coming to an end,"