FCS&CA Dept. says it will prosecute offenders
Vegetable costs have risen dramatically, putting a strain on residents’ budgets in Srinagar. Kashmiri Haakh (collard green) is now more costly than chicken.
Vegetable prices in Srinagar have skyrocketed due to the large gap between wholesale and retail prices, as shown by a Greater Kashmir market research.
For comparison, in Soura Vegetable Mandi, a kilogramme of collard greens would set you back Rs 120, while a kilogramme of chicken will set you back Rs 115.
And on Saturday, the Parimpora Mandi Association established a wholesale price of Rs 50 to Rs 60 per kilogramme for this product.
Collard green is treble the price between the towns of Parimpora and Soura, frustrating low-income shoppers who must put off buying food until they can save enough. Even the locally manufactured Kashmiri Saag has seen a shocking increase in price.
Vegetables across the board have seen price increases.
There is a shocking gap between wholesale and retail prices, and the government doesn’t seem to care.
Tomatoes retail at Rs 130 per kilogramme and are available for less than Rs 90 at wholesale; peas retail at Rs 150 per kilogramme and are available for less than Rs 100 at wholesale; bitter gourd retails at Rs 120 per kilogramme; local gourd retails at Rs 70 per piece; brinjals retail at Rs 80 to 100 per kilogramme; and carrots retail at Rs 60 per kilogramme.
Customers are appealing to the government to intervene to prevent the startling increase in the price of vegetables in Kashmir from being exploited by profiteers.
Vegetable costs have skyrocketed, making them unaffordable for the general public. “Poor customers have no option but to purchase items, no matter how costly they are, and now veggies have become prohibitively expensive for the general population. The poor used to be able to get by on vegetables if they couldn’t afford mutton or chicken, but now it seems that they can’t afford either, according to Muhammad Shafi, a local resident.
Greater Kashmir was assured by Riyaz Ahmad, director of Kashmir’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), that the agency will take action against those responsible for selling food at inflated costs.
Meanwhile, Bashir Ahmad Bashir, chairman of the Fruit Mandi Association, has blamed the recent rains for a decrease in vegetable output, which has led to an increase in the price of rice.
In all of India, the monsoon has arrived. Outside supply is quite low at this time of year. The rains have also reduced output in Kashmir, which has led to higher vegetable costs than in recent months.
