Only 2-3 tonnes of vegetable reaching APMC markets per month, instead of earlier 30 tonnes
In September, the price of onions was between Rs 60-70/kg but has now increasedu00c2u00a0to Rs 90 and may go up further
With thousands of hectares of crops getting destroyed due to unseasonal rain, prices of onions and other vegetables have now started burning a hole in the pocket. Onions, which currently cost something between Rs 70-Rs 90 per kg, might soon be sold for 100 bucks. Reason: Only 2-3 tonnes of the vegetable manage to reach the APMC markets in Navi Mumbai and Kalyan from Nashik, Ahmednagar and Pune per month, instead of the earlier 30 tonnes. But the government is yet to intervene and reach out to the farmers.
According to APMC market officials, in September the price per kg was between Rs 60-70 but now it has increased to Rs 90 and might go up further. Ravindra Ghodvinche, senior official from the Kalyan APMC market said, "For the past couple of days we have not been getting onions from Nashik and Pune, so the total amount we received this month is just 2 tonnes. Not only farmers, even traders are suffering due to this. Most of the farmers are now selling old stock as rain has damaged the new ones. In the next couple of days, the price might shoot up to Rs 100."
Navi Mumbai APMC market director, Ashok Walunj, said, "Daily 80 to 90 trucks full of vegetables are sent here, but the stocks of atleast 40 to 50 of them rot during transportation. Also, the new stocks that come here don't survive even for a day. Apart from onions, prices of other vegetables have also increased with green peas costing Rs 150 per kg and coriander leaves Rs 150-200 per bunch."
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Meanwhile, small traders who travel from Karjat to Mumbai or Thane are also suffering a lot. Reema Pawar, who comes to Thane from Karjat to sell bitter gourd, said, "We grow bitter gourd in our own farm, but the rain has destroyed most of the produce this time. We are helpless and don't know what to do till the government helps us. The remaining stock will get over in the next three days, but we are awaiting the government's decision."
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