The prices of vegetables are burning a hole in the pockets of the average middle class people in the city and this has been attributed to crop damage due to incessant rains.
According to the vegetable vendors and traders in Ïewduh, most of the produce in the Khasi Hills have been destroyed by rain and local farmers are now charging veggies at a high price.
They said the crops usually perish in the rainy season, which also reduces the yield. This is why the prices of vegetables are increasing..
Most of the traders at Ïewduh told Highland Post that hat prices of some vegetables skyrocketed in the last month, leaving customers as well as sellers struggling.
“The prices have doubled this time compare to last year and we are buying vegetables like the pole bean at Rs 150-180, cabbage at Rs 50, and likewise for all vegetables grown by our farmers here,” a vegetable trader, E. Marbaniang said.
He stated that as long as the locally grown vegetables are exported outside like Silchar, Agartala, Assam the vegetable price will remain expensive. He also said that vegetables coming from West Bengal to the state are much cheaper.
Another vendor B. Marbaning said that she is finding it difficult to make the daily sales because customers come and buy less quantity unlike when the vegetables are much cheaper.
Meanwhile, customers also said that the vegetables have become unaffordable, especially at localities markets, where the sellers have to bear the cost of transportation to bring vegetables from Ïewduh to shops.
