Chandigarh: As weather swings fruits, veggie prices, vendors feel the pain

CHANDIGARH: Weeks of warm dry weather have taken their toll on fruit and vegetable vendors of Chandigarh. Street vendors have been enduring losses due to low market price and desiccation of fruits in the hot weather. "Vegetables, if not sold, go waste and these cannot be used the next day most of the time due to heat," says a vendor at Sector 26 grain market.
Currently apple, which comes from Himachal Pradesh, is selling at Rs 100/kg and its wholesale price is between Rs 18,00 and Rs 2,000 per carton while mango, which is being brought in from Uttar Pradesh, is fetching Rs 100/kg with wholesale price at Rs 90 per carton.
Plum is costing Rs 120/kg with wholesale price at Rs 100/kg while musk melon is Rs 100 for four kg. Both these fruits come from Punjab while cherry, which is brought in from Himachal Pradesh, costs Rs 250 per box with wholesale price of Rs 220/box.
Prices of vegetables have greater fluctuations as compared to fruits. Tomatoes that are being brought from Andhra Pradesh are selling at Rs 40/kg and have touched Rs 44/kg, cauliflower from Punjab id being sold at Rs 60/kg and can touch up to Rs 80/kg while onions are fetching Rs 24/kg, which is an increase as compared to Rs 20/ kg a few days ago.
"Vegetable rates this year are quite stable and is not expected to vary much in the coming weeks. Due to heat, plucking of fruit has started. This year arrival of fruits and vegetables has been satisfactory, said Gurminder Singh, supervisor for the Sector 26 grain market committee.
The continuous fluctuation in the price of vegetables has made it difficult for the vendors to predict their profit and loss, especially when fruits dry out quickly and require water to be sprinkled at frequent intervals.
Although the prices increase every year in June, the rise is higher due to the prevailing heat wave. Varying prices will be the result of shortage in supply.