Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru/Udupi (MS)

Mangaluru/Udupi, May 31: In anticipation of the monsoon, vegetable prices are on the rise in the twin districts of Mangaluru and Udupi. Leafy greens and other vegetables have seen significant price hikes, with coriander leaves and spinach tripling in cost. Items like tomatoes, potatoes, and radishes, once relatively inexpensive, have also become more expensive.

Coriander leaves, which previously sold for Rs 50 per kilogram, now command Rs 200, while spinach has jumped from Rs 8-10 per bunch to Rs 15-20. Green chillies have soared to Rs 120 per kilo.

Tomatoes, previously priced at Rs 20 per kilo, now fetch Rs 55, and local cucumbers have doubled to Rs 50 per kilogram. Similarly, potatoes and beetroot have surged from Rs 25 to Rs 40 per kilo, while ash gourd and radish are being sold at Rs 30 and Rs 70 per kilo, respectively.

Although the price of beans has slightly decreased from its peak of Rs 200, it is still selling at Rs 180 per kilogram. Bitter gourd is priced at Rs 70, while drumsticks and eggplants are fetching Rs 100 per kilo.

Vegetable vendor Lokesh attributed the price surge to heavy rains in vegetable-growing regions, causing rot and scarcity. Lokesh said, “Due to incessant rain for the past two days in areas where vegetables are grown in large quantities, the vegetables are rotten. So the prices have shot up. Leafy vegetables also get rotten during rainy season. So their price will be slightly higher.”

Another vendor mentioned the impending end of the fishing season in coastal areas, expected to increase demand due to the fishing ban. Additionally, the delay in locally grown vegetables reaching the market is likely to keep prices high for some time. He said, “Fishing season will end in coastal region from June 1. The demand for vegetable will further soar due to the ban on fishing. Some locals grow vegetables during the rainy season. Till such vegetable arrives in the market the prices will remain high.”