Kathmandu, August 13

Because of the continuous downpour that has triggered floods and landslides in various Tarai districts recently, supply of vegetables in the Valley’s market has been affected, leading to surge in the price of major vegetables.

Pooja Dahal of New Baneshwor said she paid Rs 50 for half a kilo of tomatoes today, against only Rs 35 for the same a week ago. Similarly, Bhuwan Sharma, who runs a restaurant at Chabahil, said that the retail price of vegetables like pointed gourd, soyabean green, sponge gourd, French bean, onion and cabbage too have increased over the past few days.

“There is no consistency in the price of vegetables. Wholesalers and retailers fix prices of vegetables arbitrarily and nobody knows whether or not the prices are justifiable,” Sharma said.

However, officials of the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board (KFVMDB) claimed that the price of different vegetables has gone up due to landslides and floods in different parts of Tarai, which have disrupted the regular supply.

Kalimati Vegetable Market is the major source of vegetables for Valley consumers.

“The Kalimati market received 600 tonnes of vegetables on Saturday against a normal supply of 650 tonnes per day. The supply is expected to drop further over the next few days, hitting the price of vegetables in the future,” said Binaya Shrestha, information officer of KFVMDB.

However, Shrestha assured that the recent increase in vegetable price is temporary and that the price will start falling once the rainfall cedes.

According to the price list published by KFVMDB, price of tomatoes has risen to Rs 85 per kilogram from Rs 65 per kilogram a week ago. Similarly, price of cabbage has surged to Rs 35 per kilogram from Rs 25 per kilogram one week ago. French bean has also become dearer by Rs 10 per kilogram to Rs 85 per kilogram in the review period. Price of pointed gourd has surged to Rs 75 per kilogram from Rs 55 per kilogram one week ago, sponge gourd has become dearer by Rs 20 per kilogram to Rs 55 per kilogram. Prices of dry onion and soyabean green have gone up by Rs 10 per kilo each to Rs 65 and 85 per kilogram, respectively.