PANAJI
Family budgets of common folk in Goa have begun to get strained with prices of vegetables spiking drastically in the local markets over the last few days.
In the Panaji market, onions were selling on Tuesday at Rs 55 per kilogram, nearly Rs 15 rupees higher than the average prices last week.
Prices of tomato, another quintessential ingredient in Goan and Indian cooking, also rose sharply week-on-week, the per kilogram rate quoted at an astronomical Rs 80 compared to the Rs 40-50 last week.
Green chillies and coriander, garlic, ginger and other spices used in almost all oriental food recipes, also rose between 20 to 30 per cent and both wholesale and retail traders said the prices will continue to rise.
"The rains have caused massive destruction of harvestable crops in Belagavi, Kholapur and other regions on which Goa is dependent on. The situation is unlikely to change very soon and it could get even worse," said Hussain, who trades in fruits and vegetables in the CCP market at Panaji.
Lemons, French beans and most of the other vegetables including cabbage, have also become dearer as parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra from where Goa gets most of its supplies have seen rain related crop damage.
Horticulture kiosks ease the pain: There was some respite from the stiff prices of vegetables due to sale at subsidised rates through outlets of the Goa State Horticulture Corporation with a nearly 25 per cent discount.
An official of the GSHCL, however, said the Corporation faces a challenge to source supplies with crop damage ravaging the mandis in Belagavi and other regions it relies on.
