Why are price hikes of vegetable items not monitored regularly?

GUWAHATI: Two months back, State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury visited the markets here and fixed the prices of potatoes at Rs 20 per kg and that of onions at Rs 22 per kg.

Seeing the Minister in the market, the district administrations geared themselves up and kept wholesalers' price line under check. However now, everything is back to square one – the prices of both the commodities have almost doubled.

While potatoes are being sold at the rate of Rs 35 to Rs 40 per kg, onions are priced at Rs 40 per kg in the markets, these days. The situation is no different in case of other vegetables. Traders charge prices at their own whims. Prices of most of the vegetables are Rs 80 per kg. Some greengrocers even sell French Beans at Rs 200 per kg.

What's seen over the years is that when there's no regular monitoring from the higher-ups, — including the Minister — the greengrocers take the consumers for a ride.

The moot poser: Why isn't the Minister taking up this burning issue now?

The onus of keeping the vegetable prices under check is that of district administrations. Since vegetables are highly perishable in nature it's difficult to give them price tags.

Of course, the district administrations should definitely determine the maximum price tags of various vegetable items. This step will check the unilateral price hikes by the wholesalers and retailers. However for reasons best known to them, the district administrations stop short of taking such measures.

There are also allegations from several quarters that middlemen and even a section of police personnel take commissions at various levels. This also causes the prices of vegetables to soar by the time the consumers buy these items.

Moreover, the wholesalers say that prices of potatoes and onions are hiked at the producing States. But has the State administration ever cross-checked the price rise and also the amount of such hikes?

Meanwhile, the wholesale vegetable market at Pamohi here is getting affected due to the syndicate culture among the middlemen.

Of late, this market in Guwahati isn't getting adequate vegetable supplies. This market usually gets vegetables from the markets in Darrang district, besides those in other districts. However for the past two days, vegetable farmers of Darrang district have not been supplying vegetables to Pamohi.

According to a member of a farmers' association in Darrang, a syndicate at the Pamohi Wholesale Market doesn't allow them to directly sell their vegetables at the market.

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