Fruits, vegetables dearer by Rs 10 to Rs 20 per kg

KATHMANDU, Oct 3: Traders have jacked up the prices of major fruits and vegetables by Rs 10 to Rs 20 with the onset of Dashain, citing drop in supply - something that officials at fruits and vegetables market did not agree with.



Major fruits such as banana, apple, guava and pear among others and vegetables such as tomato, carrot, cucumber local cauliflower, French bean and squash have seen a price rise due to the increasing demand.[break]



Price of fruits such as apple, banana and guava that were selling at Rs 80, Rs 40 and Rs 20 per kg in the market a week ago has increased to Rs 120, Rs 60 and Rs 30 a kg respectively. Likewise, price of vegetables such as tomato, carrot, local cauliflower and cucumber among others have increased to Rs 70, Rs 66 and Rs 40 a kg respectively from Rs 56, Rs 65, Rs 48 and Rs 36 a kg respectively. Vegetable sellers informed the price of major vegetable has gone up following reduced delivery as well as the continuous rainfall that has been hampering the supply of fruits and vegetables from the neighboring districts.



Shanti Maskey, a retailer at Baneshwor, cited high demand for the price hike. “The supply of vegetables and fruits has gone down compared to normal days and this has compelled us to increase the price,” said Maskey. She further added that buyers were snapping up whatever was in stock in the euphoria of the festival without bothering about prices.



However, when inquired about the reason behind the increasing price of vegetables in the market, officials of Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board said the price has in fact started falling which is not the case in the market.



“The price of major vegetable is going down by Rs 5 to Rs 10 per kg as people  in the valley have moved to their hometowns, causing high supply and reduced demand,” Bharat Khatiwada, president Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board, said.



The Kalimati market receives 500 to 600 tons of vegetables daily. But with the onset of the festival, supplies have gone down to 200 to 300 tons, shooting up the price of most vegetables and fruits. The supply of fruits which was around 150 tons a day has fallen from that level.

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