Costly vegetables become unaffordable for common man

The prices of vegetables and pulses have suddenly gone up manifold in Kashmir when their consumption is high due to the arrival of the winter season.

Local residents say that due to the approaching winter the family budgets are already upset by extra expenditures and now the spiralling prices of vegetables have put them into another difficulty.

“The floods last year gave a setback to farmers who were not able to get much cultivation this year, with people mostly dependent on the outside production, the increase in the rates of vegetables has created a lot of inconvenience for a common man like me,” said Arshad Khan, a local resident. “One kg of chicken is selling for Rs 100-110 and vegetables like saag for Rs 70-80 per kg,” he said.

The same is the case with pulses which are mostly consumed and stocked for the winter season. The rates have gone up almost by 50 per cent in the last two weeks.

“Most of the pulses are being sold above Rs 100 per kg. Pulses are part of the daily diet for Kashmiris in winter. Given their spiralling prices, it seems they are becoming unaffordable for middle-class and poor people,” said Shazada, a homemaker.

Shopkeepers had their own tale to tell. They blamed the wholesale markets for the increasing rates.

“We do not increase the rates on our own, the rates of pulses are also high in the mandis as well. We just keep a little margin so that we can earn. There are no fixed rates as such. They keep on fluctuating according to demand,” said a vegetable seller in Srinagar.

Many consumers blamed the government for failing to regulate the prices of vegetables and pulses in the market to save consumers from being overcharged.

“There is a need for regular market checking by the authorities so that sellers do not overcharge customers who have no option but to buy them,” said Manzoor Khan, a city resident.

Officials of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, however, said they regularly checked the market rates of essential commodities.

“We are doing our job as there are regular drives in the market but if people find someone overcharging them, they must come forward and complain to us against him so that we can take an appropriate action against him,” the official said.