Saturday, April 10, 2010

No Dip In Retail Food Prices, Mandi Rates Have Come Down But Veggies Remain Expensive

Monthly household budgets had not recovered from last year's onslaught of high food prices when the current year threw in more shockers for Delhiites. From milk to packaged food, not to mention vegetables and fruits, an ordinary diet is no longer very affordable. Wholesale prices seem to have no impact on the retail market as vegetables continue to remain expensive even though mandi prices have come down in the past month.
Sources say that some vegetables had become very expensive in March but their prices have come down now. Ladyfinger, bottlegourd, capsicum and tomato had also seen a price rise since January but by April most vegetables had become much cheaper, at least in the wholesale market. ``There was a problem of inbetween crops, that is at the end of one crop and the beginning of a new one. During this time, whatever little vegetable is available in the market would be sold very expensive. The retail market exploits this situation even more. However, right now the supply is sufficient to meet the current demand,'' said Mukesh Tiwari, chairman, Ghazipur vegetable mandi.


Sources however pointed out that this had made no difference to the retail market. ``The prices in retail market are still very high and a large part of the problem is the cold storage mafia. As far as potatoes go, this is a huge problem right now. The cold storage owners buy directly from the farmers at low rates and sell when the fresh supply starts dwindling. This is true for most vegetables that can be stored, including onions,'' said an official of the Delhi Agriculture Marketing Board.
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With thanks : Source : Times of India

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