Jammu, Jun 29: Poor crop yield due to heavy rainfall and landslides over the past few days here has hiked the prices of vegetables such as ginger and tomato, with consumers demanding government intervention to address the issue.
The recent price surge due to a demand-supply gap has posed significant challenges for low-income individuals who struggle to afford essential commodities.
With tomatoes priced at around Rs 120 per kg and ginger at Rs 400 per kg, people are being compelled to forgo these items, Bharat Bhushan, a customer, said.
Bhushan emphasised the urgent need for government intervention to alleviate the burden of price hikes on poor families.
Local vegetable vendors have attributed the low crop yield of ginger and tomatoes to the heavy rainfall owing to the ongoing monsoon.
“We have witnessed a price hike in ginger and tomatoes as the heavy rainfall has adversely affected crop production. Every monsoon, there is a price hike in vegetables, especially mountain-grown vegetables because of landslides and increased transportation time”, Chamail Singh, a vegetable vendor said.
Singh said it is anticipated that vegetable prices may rise more if there is no improvement in the inclement weather.
Balbir Bakshi, a vegetable vendor, said that over the past 3-4 days, tomatoes have been priced exorbitantly high, ranging from Rs 80 to Rs 120 per kg.
The limited supply caused by the rainfall has increased the prices right at the source — the farms, Bakshi added.
The vendors said although the current weather conditions indicate that prices will remain high for a few more days, the rates might lower once the monsoon recedes.
Official data points towards an average price trend of Rs 30 to 35 for per kg of tomato and Rs 120 to 150 for per kg ginger.
As retail prices of the kitchen staple shot up to Rs 100 per kg in major cities of the country on Tuesday, a top government official said the spurt in prices of tomatoes is a temporary seasonal phenomenon, and rates will cool down soon.
Most parts of Jammu and Kashmir received heavy rains on Monday, triggering landslides at multiple locations that blocked the key Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and other roads, officials said. (Agencies)
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