KATHMANDU: : In recent days, vegetable prices have skyrocketed in the domestic market. The prices increased significantly as soon as the government announced the prohibitory order.
Prior to this, vegetable prices had declined as the government had eased the lockdown modality. Traders claim that along with consumption supply of vegetables too has gone down in the last one month period, thus vegetable prices have surged.
Farmers say that they have been selling their produce at a very low price but traders have been charging high prices in the market. The months of August and September are considered an off-season for vegetable production and generally during this period vegetable prices soar. However, this year, the prices have increased extremely, said Khom Bahadur Ghimire, a trader from the Kalimati market.
“Production in the Tarai region is low and production in the hilly regions is not enough for the market. That is why vegetable prices have gone up,” he said, “However it is not the traders who have increased the price,” says Ghimire, adding,“We purchase vegetables at an expensive rate from farmers, hence from the wholesale to the retail market vegetable prices have unexpectedly surged this year.”
As per him, vegetable production this year has declined by 40 per cent due to the lockdown, and lack of fertilizers and seeds. “It is not true that we are selling vegetables at a high price. Just two months back we sold vegetables at the lowest price ever when production was excessive,” he claimed.
According to the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Committee, vegetable supply in the market has declined to around 500 tonnes to 550 tonnes on average from the regular 800 tonnes per day.
Meanwhile, Nepal Farmers Group Federation has claimed that farmers are selling their vegetables at a low price and they are not even getting a market for their produce.