PANAJI
With summer heat soaring in Goa, so are prices of vegetables in the capital’s market and traders say there is unlikely to be any respite very soon.
French beans were selling at Rs 240 per kilo in the Panaji market on Monday and lemons, commonly used by folks to beat the heat with a cool nimbu-pani drink, are selling at Rs 10 each (large) and Rs 7 (smaller ones). The price of chillies was being quoted at Rs 120 per kilo while green peas sold at Rs 100.
With the summer expected to get harsher in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra from where Goa gets most of its vegetable supplies, traders in the Panaji market said chances of prices rising even further over the next few weeks were high.
Thankfully, prices of onion, potato and tomato, widely used in Goan kitchens, have remained subdued. They sold at Rs 40 per kilo.
However, other vegetables like okra (lady finger) and carrot were selling at a stiff Rs 80 per kg each. Eggplant (brinjal) and cucumber prices were also howering a bit lower at Rs 60 per kg each.
Cabbage and Cauliflower sold at Rs 40 per kilo while bunches of fresh coriander were selling at between Rs 25 and 30. Mint leaves bunches were being sold at Rs 10.
Spices also so a spike in prices with ginger quoted at Rs 200 and garlic at Rs 400 per kilo.
Meanwhile, outlets of the Goa State Horticulture corporation sold the veggies at a subsidised rate with onion at Rs 26, tomato at Rs 28 and potato at Rs 37 per kilo. The subsidised prices of Okra was Rs 20, cabbage Rs 29, carrot at Rs 43, green peas at Rs 175 and chilli at Rs.70 per kilo.
