PANJIM: Everyone can feel the heat of the summer but with the price of commodities rising, especially that of lemons, it is becoming scorching.
It is not just lemons, the prices of other vegetables too have been going up. And traders say it’s not just because of the fuel price hike. Speaking to HERALD TV a vendor said, “Prices have gone really high. Earlier, we used to purchase a whole sack of lemons for Rs 700, now it costs Rs 3,500. We are selling a single lemon for Rs 10 and nobody is ready to buy it. Nobody is ready to accept that the prices have gone up and are leaving without purchasing lemons.”
With a single lemon retailing at anywhere between Rs 10 and Rs 15, across the country, lemon prices are squeezing household budgets. Reportedly, the supply of lemons has fallen due to a decline in overall production.
Traders blame the rising fuel prices for the increase in vegetable rates. “In my 30 years of business, lemons have sold for a maximum of Rs 150 a kilo but they had never touched Rs 300 a kg. Diesel prices have increased the cost of transportation by Rs 24,000 a truck," a wholesaler told Herald.
Just a fortnight ago, the lemons were retailing at Rs 50-100 per kg. Another
vendor said that the price hike is majorly due to a shortage in supply and high demand during the summer. “We were selling lemon at Rs 60 per kg three weeks ago, which has now crossed Rs 200 per kg, that too in the peak season, when supply, as well as demand, is generally high,” the trader said.
A vendor at the Panjim Market said that every year lemon prices go up in the summer but this year the price has gone so high that even they worry while buying at the wholesale price.
Presently most of the lemons that are seen and bought in Goa come from Hubli, Belgavi and parts of Karnataka.
Earlier for Rs 20 one would get 12 lemons but presently the cost of one lemon in the market is Rs 10.
Due to the price hike, the summer staple of limbu paani is now being sold at Rs 20 per glass at roadside shops. “Last year, I was charging Rs 15 per glass and now with the price going up I am charging Rs 20,” said a roadside vendor. While many vendors have linked the fuel price hike to lemons, others attribute it to drop in supply.
The hike in petrol, diesel and CNG prices have resulted in increased transportation costs, which has been one of the main factors why vegetable prices have gone up.
From March 22 onwards, India has seen a rise in fuel prices, which has pushed transportation costs. Vegetable sellers say that due to the increased transportation cost and the ultimate hike in the buying price, they are bound to sell vegetables at a higher price.
Another reason that is attributed to the soaring lemon prices is that there’s a shortage in supply and high demand. In the summer months, lemons are in high demand, owing to which there is already a rise in prices.