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The skyrocketing price of vegetable and fruits have forced changes the lifestyles of a majority of the middle and low income group people in India.
Over 56% middle and low income group people in India have shifted to precooked and ready-to-eat food items to protect the kitchen budget from sharp increase due to costlier food and vegetables, an Assocham study said.
The fear of bad monsoon has suddenly hiked the vegetables and fruits prices by 300% from the farm to your dining table, reveals the Assocham survey on “Rising prices of fruits and vegetables” in which over 5,000 people took part.
Over 88% of middle income group (MIG) and lower income group (LIG) find difficult to manage the household budget and squeezing families' finances to the lowest level due to uncertainty of rains.
During the last three years, the salary of average common man has gone up by 10-15% but on the other side the prices of vegetables have also gone up by 250-300%.
The survey was conducted in major places like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Bengaluru and so on. The maximum impact was felt in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune. Around 82% of lower middle class families have been forced to skip or squeezed their budgets for vegetables because of skyrocketing prices.
The prices of most of the widely consumed vegetables have shot up during the last two weeks in most parts of the country with the early onset of monsoon rains. The sudden increases of vegetables prices have seriously hit the common men mainly in the metro cities, adds D S Rawat, Secretary General, Assocham.
The demand for tomato puree and ketchup are commonly-used commodities due to high fluctuations of market prices of fresh tomatoes. The main categories of packaged food are canned/dried processed food, frozen processed food, meal replacement products and condiments.
The relatively affordable tomatoes, cabbage cauliflower, lady finger and potatoes basic ingredients in most Indian meals are moving away from the middle class family reach as prices continue to soar, adds the paper.
Almost all vegetables in the city’s markets have become costlier, with many becoming out of reach of the middleclass family. Prices of brinjals, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes besides fruits have also gone up. Fruits have also become a luxury for the lower middle class; one spends less on buying a litre of fruit juice than a kilo of fresh fruits. Packed fruit juices appeared to be a better option for them.
Rising prices of fruits and vegetables have upset budgets of middle and lower class families, particularly affecting those below the poverty line. The fact that prices of some of the essential commodities have increased further has created great dissatisfaction.
The rise in vegetable price has come as a double-shocker for the denizens. Tomatoes are selling at Rs 60 a kilo, with ladyfinger at Rs 50 a kg and brinjal at Rs 40 a kg.
Apart from these vegetables, capsicum is being sold at Rs 80 a kg, bitter gourd at Rs 80 a kg and gourd bottle at Rs 20 per piece. Though cauliflower and cabbage too are available in the market, vendors are extracting anything between Rs 55 and Rs 60 for a small piece.
Source: Assocham, Market: New Delhi
Apart from these vegetables, capsicum is being sold at Rs 80 a kg, bitter gourd at Rs 80 a kg and gourd bottle at Rs 20 per piece. Though cauliflower and cabbage too are available in the market, vendors are extracting anything between Rs 55 and Rs 60 for a small piece.
| Price trend (Rs/kg) | ||||
| Vegetable | Wholesale | Retail | ||
| June 2 | June 26 | June 2 | June 26 | |
| Tomato | 32 | 45 | 45 | 60 |
| Lady's finger | 52 | 35 | 60 | 70 |
| Brinjal | 30 | 35 | 50 | 80 |
| Onion | 15 | 18 | 20 | 25 |
| Potato | 10 | 15 | 20 | 30 |
