Assam Floods: Vegetable prices burn holes in pockets in Guwahati

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Taking advantage of the current wave of floods, a section of unscrupulous people is out to mint money by supplying vegetables at exorbitant rates in Guwahati and elsewhere in the state.

In retail markets in Guwahati, ridge gourd (jika) is sold at Rs 120 per kg against Rs 60 last week, lady’s finger at Rs 100 per kg against Rs 40 earlier, squash at Rs 80 per kg against Rs 40 earlier, pointed gourd (potol) at Rs 100 against Rs 60 earlier, bribjal at Rs 80 per kg against Rs 40 earlier, spine gourd (bhat kerela) at Rs 120 per kg against Rs 80 earlier, etc. The price of each vegetable item has gone up twice or more.

When The Sentinel contacted the traders at the Pamohi Fruits and Vegetable Market in Guwahati, they said that the supply of vegetables has come down drastically to the wholesale market due to the current wave of floods. They, however, said that they have not hiked the prices of the stocks of vegetables available with them.

This means that despite the scarcity of vegetables, their prices would have remained the same as they were last week. However, that is not the ground reality, and the consumers have to pay through their noses.

When contacted, a few retailers said that the supply of vegetables from the Pamohi Wholesale Market is not adequate to meet the vegetable demand in Guwahati. “We, some ten or more vegetable vendors, get into a huddle and engage a few people to bring vegetables from Meghalaya. We buy vegetables from such people at higher prices, hence the differences in prices in the retail markets in Guwahati,” one of the retailers said. The retailer, however, refused to term the persons they have engaged to supply vegetables from Meghalaya as middlemen.

Reacting to the rise in vegetable prices, a consumer in Guwahati said, “The district Food and Civil Supplies departments did form squads to inspect markets in each district. However, such squads seldom inspect the market. Had they inspected markets on a regular basis, the consumers would not have to pay through their noses.”

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