Cry, my Bengaluru! wholesale prices skyrocket

By NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The prices of vegetables  have registered a sharp  spike in Bengaluru following the recent wet  spell in the city and  neighbouring districts.

Onion and tomato prices that crashed recently,  have now soared after  rains destroyed the crops,  sources said. Fine quality  onions, which were  priced between Rs 600  and 1,200 per 50 kg a few  days ago, have now increased to Rs 1400-2500.

Reports suggest that  owing to rainfall in Chitradurga and Dharwad  districts, the harvest is  not of the desired quantity. The rise in cost of  fuel too has driven the  price of essential commodities northwards,  traders and shopkeepers  said.

“Vegetables that perish  in a limited time have become costlier. Moreover,  the reason behind the  spike in tomato and onion  prices is excessive moisture,” a trader from Agricultural Produce & Livestock Market Committee  (APMC) in Yeshwanthpura, said. Onion farmers  suffered heavy losses due  to the rains, he said.

Most households in the  city are already reeling  under the recession  caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. While the economy was showing signs of  recovery after the first  wave, the second one  dealt a body blow. Now  though Covid-19 cases  have come down, the  economy continues to be  subdued. Private School  teachers in Bengaluru,  Srinivasa Kumar and his  wife Tejaswini V, fear economic ruin. They have a  shortfall of Rs 30,000 to  meet immediate expenses, including school fees  of their kids and the  mortgage on a neighbouring unit.

Satish Kumar, a security guard at a mall in  Bengaluru, lost his job  during the lockdown. The  45-year-old and a father of  two, then started selling  fruits on a pushcart to  support his family. The  new job ensured a steady  income but it was not  enough to educate both  his children. And, so, Kumar’s older child, a son,  had to drop out of school.

“Everything costs  more and life has turned  into a struggle for many.  This is a very unfortunate situation. The purchasing capacity of the  people has come down.  Unemployment is a major  issue and we are in a crisis. The governments are  not doing much to improve the situation. Cooking gas, transportation  and everything concerning the basic needs of individuals cost more,” said  Shashidhar K, a lorry  driver who supplies fruits  and vegetables from other districts.

According to the businessmen and traders in  Bengaluru, Indian manufacturers are raising prices to pass on some of the  burden to consumers,  which threatens to dent  demand as well as a recovery from the Covid-19  pandemic