Spike in fuel cost sends veggie prices soaring

Mumbai: The increase in the price of fuels has had a cascading effect on the prices of vegetables and fruits, which have suddenly shot up in the city. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) officials stated on Tuesday that vegetable prices have increased by up to 20 per cent due to the rise in the cost of transportation in the last two days.

Vendors at the Dadar and Mulund civic markets fear that prices will continue to increase in the coming days due to the rising fuel prices every day since last week. It’s not just vegetables, but even fruit prices have increased by up to 15 per cent, according to the traders.

“As diesel and petrol prices have increased, farmers are paying more for transport of their produce to Mumbai. This is also going to impact retail prices. In fact, for many vegetables and fruits, it is already showing affect. Thankfully, the stock of vegetables is adequate now, otherwise retail prices would have increased significantly,” said a senior official from the Vashi APMC.

While the prices of vegetables like tomato and potatoes have increased marginally, the price of vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower and methi have doubled. “We hope that prices do not soar further as Ganesh Chathurthi is just a couple of day away and the need for fruits and vegetables will increase during the festival,” said Nikita Shekokar, a Mulund resident.

On Tuesday, petrol price further increased to Rs 88.26 per litre, while diesel prices went up to Rs 77.47 per litre. In Parbhani city in eastern Maharashtra, the petrol rate has soared to Rs 90.05 per litre and  diesel to Rs 77.92 per litre.