Vegetables Prices Surge by 230 Percent

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Vegetables Prices Surge by 230 Percent

July 1: The prices of green vegetables have skyrocketed up by up to 230 percent in Kathmandu in a month. According to the daily price list of the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board (KFVMDB), the prices of green vegetables have increased substantially in the last one month.

With the arrival of monsoon, farmers have started planting paddy in the land where they used to grow vegetables.

The wholesale price of hybrid beans, which was Rs 35 per kg on May 30, has increased by 230 percent to Rs 115 on June 30. The price of local cauliflower has gone up by 200 percent from Rs 25 per kg to Rs 75 per kg. The price of bitter gourd has increased by 142 percent from Rs 27 to Rs 65 per kg.

Similarly, the price of ladies’ finger has also increased by 115 percent from Rs 35 to Rs 75 per kg, while the price of kidney beans has also increased by 200 percent from Rs 35 to Rs 105 per kg. The price of vegetables including sponge gourd, bottle gourd and beans has also gone up from Rs 20 to Rs 35 per kg.

Due to the rainy season, the production of vegetables has decreased. Information Officer of KFVMDB, Binay Shrestha, told New Business Age that the price of green vegetables has increased as the vegetable production has decreased due to the paddy plantation in the land where vegetables were being grown.

“Especially the price of vegetables has increased as the production has decreased,” he said. According to him, vegetable production has declined in India as well due to the rain. The price has grown as the vegetables entering Nepal from India have also decreased.

The data of the board shows that the import of vegetables has not improved although the lockdown has been relaxed. According to the board, 550, 500 and 600 metric tons of vegetables had entered Kalimati on May 28, 29 and 30 respectively.

As many as 700 metric tons of vegetables were imported on June 28. Likewise, 600 metric tons on June 29 and only 500 metric tons of vegetables have been imported till June 30. Under normal circumstances, 900 to 1,000 metric tons of vegetables enter Kalimati daily.

At present, traders estimate that only about 30 percent of green vegetables are imported from India. Gita Prasad Acharya, president of Kalimati Fruit and Vegetables Market Entrepreneurs Committee, said that vegetables from Dhading, Makwanpur, Dolakha, Kavre and other districts were entering Kathmandu. 

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