Chikkamagaluru : Vegetable prices have been soaring up in the past few days due to fall in the supply with the failure of pre monsoon showers. The price of tomato has shot up to Rs 70 per kg.

“The tomato is not cultivated in the district in a large scale to meet the demand of the district. As a result, the merchants purchase tomatoes from outside the district. This is also one of the reason for rise in price of tomatoes,” said one of the consumer.

The price of tomato has been raising since the last 20 days. From Rs 40 per kg, the price has increased to Rs 50 per kg and Rs 70 per kg. The price of beans (Rs 60 per kg), cauliflower (Rs 60 per kg), green peas (Rs 160 per kg), carrot (Rs 60 per kg), okra (Rs 40 per kg), capsicum (Rs 80 per kg), potato (Rs 40 per kg) too have increased. The prices of methi, pudina, corriander leaves and ‘sabsige’ too have doubled.

APMC Secretary Chandrashekar said, “Owing to lack of rainfall, the tomato production has declined in the last three months. As a result, the arrival of vegetables to the APMC has reduced drastically. The onions arrive from plateau and Maharashtra and accordingly, the price of onions are under control.”

“Lakhya, Sakharayapattana, Kadur, Kalasapura, Ambale where tomato, beans and other vegetables are grown in the district faced 1acute shortage of water in the last three months. This had an affect on the cultivation of vegetables. The region has been receiving rainfall in the last few weeks and the farmers have started cultivating vegetables. The harvest will reach within a month,” said APMC former president S T Chandre Gowda.

“The price of vegetables have increased drastically. Instead of vegetables it is better to purchase one kg of chicken,” said Jagadish, a resident of Market Road.

The price of green chillies were Rs 100 to Rs 120 last week. However, the chillies have started coming to the markets in Chikkamagaluru from Hassan, Arakalagoodu, and Ramanathapura. As a result, the prices have come down to Rs 40 per kg this week, said vegetable vendor Jafar Saab.