new Delhi. Corona virus epidemic ( Coronavirus Pandemic ) Due to the economic crisis, ordinary consumers are now also facing inflationary blows. Especially, there is no hope of getting relief from food inflation. Potato price, the most consumed in vegetables, has doubled in the last two months. Despite the decrease in vegetable consumption in hotels, restaurants, canteen and dhabas during the Corona period, their prices are continuously increasing. Traders say that due to reduced production of green vegetables in the rainy season, the arrival is decreasing, while this does not apply with potatoes, because most of the incoming is coming from cold storage at this time.
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How much potato production was made
Government figures show that potato production in the crop year 2019-20 has been higher than in the previous year. Potato production in the country is mostly in the Rabi season, but in some areas potato is produced in the Kharif Zayed season. Therefore, in addition to cold storage, fresh potato arrivals remain in the market throughout the year. According to the data of the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the production of potatoes in the country during the year 2019-20 was 513 lakh tonnes, whereas the year 2018-19 produced 501.90 lakh tonnes of potatoes.
Potato prices doubled
The wholesale price of potato was Rs 12 to Rs 44 per kg on Thursday at Azadpur mandi, Delhi, the biggest fruit and vegetable market in Asia, which was Rs 8 to Rs 21 per kg on 13 June two months ago. In this way, the maximum wholesale price of potato has more than doubled in just two months and the lower price has also increased by one and a half times. The retail price of potato has also doubled. In Delhi-NCR markets, the retail price of potato was Rs 20 to 25 per kg in June, while on Friday, potato was sold 40 to 50 rupees per kg. Not only this, the retail price of potato which was Rs 44 per kg in the wholesale market is being said above Rs 60 per kg.
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Continuous decline in potato supply
Arrival of potato in Azadpur mandi is quite low. If you look at the monthly arrival figures, the arrival of potato in the month of April was 50% less than the previous year. At the same time, the arrival of potatoes in Azadpur mandi in May was down by 47.29 percent from the previous year, while it was 38.50 percent in June and 41.04 percent in July.
Cold storage reduced potato arrival
Rajendra Sharma, former chairman of Azadpur Mandi Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, said that the fresh potato of Haldwani which is currently coming in the mandis is selling at a higher price. He told that this is the season of hill potato at this time, so it is being sold at a higher price, while cold storage is also reducing the arrival of potato. The wholesale price of potato for cold storage is currently 20 to 28 rupees per kg. Sharma said that consumption of vegetables has been affected due to the end of consumption of hotels, restaurants and canteens, ie Horeka sector, as well as weekly market closures. The arrival of potato in Azadpur mandi has been less in the last four months than in the previous year.
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Price of green vegetables increased by 200 percent
Prices of potatoes as well as other green vegetables have also seen an increase of 50 to 200 per cent in the last two months. According to Ashok Vihar Part 3 resident Himanshu, tomato prices had softened a week ago, but tomato prices have increased again. Only onion prices have not increased much, the prices of all other vegetables have touched the sky, due to which the budget of the house has been spoiled.
Retail inflation increased due to food prices
According to data released on Thursday by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) -based retail inflation rose to 6.23 per cent in June from 6.93 per cent in July. The retail inflation for the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) -based food items was recorded at 9.62 percent in July, as against 8.72 percent in June. According to the data, the inflation of vegetables in food items has gone up by 11.29 percent in July from the same month last year.
Current Retail Prices of Vegetables in Delhi-NCR
The vegetables | Price (Rs per kg) |
potato | 40-50 |
Cauliflower | 120 |
Cabbage | 40 |
onion | 25-30 |
Ghee | 30 |
ladyfinger | 30 |
Cucumber | 30 |
pumpkin | 30 |
eggplant | 40 |
capsicum | 8 |
Ridge gourd | 30 |
bitter gourd | 40 |
Pointed gourd | 60-70 |
Cowpea | 40 |
Arabic | 40 |
Ginger | 200 |
carrot | 40 |
Radish | 70 |
sugar beets | 40 |
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