Hit by unseasonal rains in the past few months, king of fruits mango is selling at about Rs 100 per kilogram while prices of other seasonal fruit have gone up by as much as 45 per cent in metros and major cities across India, industry body Assocham said in a survey today.
"Fruits are increasingly becoming 'unaffordable' as prices have skyrocketed by 40-45 per cent, particularly in metros and major cities due to unseasonal rain over the last few months," Assocham said in a survey report.
More than half of the lower middle class population has been forced to skip or squeeze their budget for fresh fruits because of the rising prices of seasonal fruits, said the survey.
"Mango, the king of Indian fruits, selling at Rs 100 a kg in retail markets while the premium variety Alphonso is costing Rs 200-400 per dozen, courtesy unseasonal rains which resulted in production loss up to 50 per cent in some states,' Assocham said.
Prices have also gone up in case of other fruits like bananas which used to sell at Rs 30-40 per dozen in the past year are now retailing at Rs 60-65 per dozen. Similarly apples are being sold at double the price of last year with the prices of imported varieties going up further.
It said the maximum impact of this price rise has been felt in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune.
Assocham had conducted the survey over a period of two months from April-May 2015. Over 1,000 housewives and 1,000 employees took part in the survey.
