Banana hits record Rs 750 a quintal

Banana prices have zoomed to record levels to Rs 650-700 per quintal in the local markets.

India, the world's largest producer of bananas, is facing a supply crunch with floods and uneven rainfall damaging 30 per cent of the crop In different parts of the country.

In Mumbai retail markets, the price is hovering around Rs 25 per dozen while in New Delhi it is pegged at Rs 29-34 per dozen.

In Mumbai wholesale markets, bananas were priced at Rs 250- 300 per quintal last year during the same season. Now it has more than doubled.

In fact, handcarts with piles of bananas are hardly seen nowadays in local markets. Even as supplies trickle in from southern states, the prices are expected to remain high till the arrival of new crop in the markets.

"Usually, the price is not high during this season. The prices went up because of the shortfall in supply. Heavy rains and cyclones damaged the plants in most of the banana growing regions in Andhra Prdesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu," said a fruit vendor.