look news india
Even though the monsoon is progressing well, prices of vegetables and especially potatoes are likely to continue rising in the near term.
This time the extraordinary heat across the country has caused massive damage to crops. Therefore, supply has been disrupted compared to demand, said agriculture sector experts and economists. Expensive vegetables are a matter of concern for policymakers. Inflation rate of vegetables has reached 29.3 percent in June. Earlier in May, this rate was 27.4 percent. This increase is widespread. In such a situation, the prices of tomatoes, onions, potatoes and other vegetables have been affected. Agricultural analysts say that potato prices are likely to remain strong for the next few months. He further said that, unlike the normal trend of November and December, there is a possibility of shortage of tubers in early October this year. Potato producing states like East Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have suffered seasonal crop loss. Therefore prices have increased. This year potato production is expected to be around 58.99 million tonnes. Which is less than last year's production of about 60.14 million tonnes. This figure has come out in the first advance estimate of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Fearing price hikes in the coming months, large farmers and sellers have stored potatoes. This year, storage in cold storages is also relatively low. Apart from potatoes, prices of other vegetables are also expected to skyrocket. Undoubtedly, all commodities will be affected by year-on-year basis changes in inflation rates. Vegetables are most affected by adverse seasonal events in agricultural produce. Vegetables became expensive in June due to seasonal problems. Experts have said that overall, it is a wait and watch situation.