Kathmandu, February 6:

The prices of vegetables have gone up considerably in the past two weeks due to the insufficiency of transportation fuels.

The price of vegetables that are brought in the Valley from India and various parts of the country have soared around 15 to 20 per cent, said Hari Prasad Sharma, advisor of Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Vocational Committee, a committee of wholesalers in Kalimati fruit and vegetable market.

The prices of vegetable items like tomatoes, peas, beans and pumpkins have skyrocketed, according to a record at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board (KFVMDB).

The wholesale rate of big tomatoes that were sold at Rs 1,400 to Rs 16,00 per quintal in January 16 has now reached between Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000. Beans that were available at around Rs 1,600 to Rs 1,800 during January 16 have reached between Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,200. Cucumbers were sold at Rs 1,800 to 2,000, but now they costs between Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,400.

Sharma said the main reason why vegetables are costly these days is the fact that transportation has become difficult and one has to pay higher to bring the vegetables to the Valley. “Hence, the cost of the products have also increased,” he said.

“If we were able to produce many vegetables here, such problems would have been minimised,” said Tara Pati Pokahrel, an officer at the KFVMDB. He said due to insufficiency of the local products, “we have to import from India and even small problems make impact on the price of vegetables.”

However, the price of potatoes has been stable in the past few weeks. Pokharel said: “We have adequate production of potatoes in the Valley; hence, its price has not been hit by external factors.”