Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 3:

Skyrocketing prices of vegetables and fruits have added further to the anxiety of Kathmanduties who are already cut off from the rest of the country due to the Maoist blockade of the highways linking the capital with other parts of the country.

“If the government fails to import edibles to the capital from outside the valley by Monday evening, spiralling prices apart the people will have run short of edibles,” said Krishna Prasad Syangjali, a vegetable stall-owner at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board (KFFMDB).

Prices of vegetables and fruits have already begun soaring in the Valley from today.

According to KFFMDB, prices of tomatoes, potatoes, onion, turnip, raddhish, cabbage, broccoli, fruits and other items of daily use have gone up.

Tomato (big) was selling for Rs 18 till yesterday. Today, prices stood at Rs 50. Red potato which sold for Rs 10 per kg till yesterday is now selling at Rs 12 per kg.

Syangjali said prices had shot because the inflow of vegetables and fruits into the Valley had stopped since yesterday. “We are falling back on stored stock,” he said.

Anita Ray, retail fruit shop owner at Dillibazaar, said the prices of fruits had also increased. Most of the vegetables and fruits are brought in from the Terai districts.