MUMBAI, Aug 16: Vegetable prices in Mumbai have begun to show a gradual decline during last week following increased supply of leafy vegetables from Maharashtra and other neighbouring states. With monsoons resuming after a short gap, leafy vegetables that have a short gestation period of around four weeks has started trickling in, wholesale merchants said. The torrential rains, followed by a gap of dry spell, had affected vegetable supplies from May through July, making vegetables dearer to the consumers.Major supplying centres Nashik, Pune, Sangli and Kanpur as well as other growing centres around Mumbai are now flush with vegetables, traders said.Due to higher arrivals of vegetables from the nearby centres, supplies from other states have been now been restricted leading to a notable decrease in the freight rates of trucks. The decrease in freight cost has also aided the downward movement of vegetable prices, merchants said.Prices of green vegetables like peas, cauliflower, carrots, lady's finger, andtomatoes have also eased considerably.
Most vegetables now range between Rs 16 and Rs 40 per kilogram as against the previous peak of Rs 24-Rs 120 per kg.
The inflated vegetable prices witnessed in May, June and mid-July had forced the Mumbai Agricultural Produce Market Committee call an emergency meet on July 20 to probe the price volatility despite satisfactory supplies at the wholesale market in Navi Mumbai.
According to BT Badhan, joint secretary of the committee, wholesale merchants had no control over the retail prices of vegetables which were sold at twice the rate of procurement. But the meeting threw more light on the speculative activity of retailers. It was concluded that the retail vendors had been cashing in on the marginal rise in wholesale prices.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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