Rising Prices of Vegetables : Tomatoes Vs Ginger

Omkar Dattatray

It is unprecedented that the prices of all most all vegetables are skyrocketing and soaring very high .The prices of tomato as well as ginger is going up and putting consumers to great trouble and paining them .After tomatoes ,ginger and Cumin seeds ( zeera ),the prices of Green chili  is going up and the prices of vegetables are afire .The housewives are in great trouble as their kitchen budget has increased and upset .In the plate the taste of tomato ,ginger and chili is absent .In Delhi tomato is selling from Rs 120 to 140 per kilogram .Rising prices which is called inflation is making Tandav .After tomato ,ginger and Zeera ,now green chili has shown its colors .The prices of green chili which used to be sold at RS 40 is now selling at  double the price at Rs 80.Talk of wholesale price the green chili is sold in the vegetable Mandi from 50 to 75 per Kg and in retail the green chili is selling at Rs 80 to 120 per kilogram .First of all lets us talk of tomatoes which are selling across  all the cities of the country at more than Rs 100 per Kg and in some places tomatoes are selling at more than Rs 150 and in Jammu and Kashmir tomatoes are selling at Rs 180 per Kg and this steep rise in the prices of tomato and vegetables has upset the budgets of the people and it is telling economically on the peoples income .There is an upward trend in the prices of vegetables and the people are fed up with the rising prices of vegetables .The people are bearing the brunt of the rising prices of vegetables as they have to grapple with the soaring prices of vegetables and the consumers feel the difficulty in buying the daily quota of vegetables .The poor consumers are hard hit by the steeply rising prices of vegetables but there is no one to hear their woes and they are left in lurch by the government .It seems that the powers are least bothered and concerned with the rising prices ,with the result the poor and average Indian consumer is suffering because of the steeply rising prices of vegetables .First of all it is the steeply rising prices of tomatoes and now the prices of ginger is raising upwards and the housewives have to forego the Tadka which is essential for the majority of households in the country .The prices of tomato as well as ginger is going up unprecedentedly and it has become a cause of major concern to the consumers .The prices of tomato ,ginger ,hari mirch is going up and the rise in their prices is because of the irregular and uneven monsoons and to a vast extent the rise in the prices of vegetables can be attributed to higher temperatures and the heat wave .With the result there is inadequate supply of the tomatoes ,ginger ,green chili and the rest of the vegetables .Thus lack of adequate production and supply of these vegetables resulted in the steep rise in the prices and the consumers are facing the shortage and as s result the rising prices of these vegetables .There seems to be one upmanship and competition in prices of tomato and ginger .There is urgent need to increase the production of tomato ,ginger and all most all vegetables so that the prices will come down and the consumers will be in a position to buy these vegetables .Tomato is used as a salad ,juice ,soup ,ketchup ,tadka and as a vegetable and similarly ginger is used in cooking vegetables and is used in tea and as a medicine in Common cold .The increasing prices of tomato and ginger has put the consumers to great trouble as they are left with no choice but to dispense its use and thus it is harming the interests of the average Indian consumer .The most difficulties are experienced by the housewives ,the kitchen budget is upset and in plate the taste of Tomato  ,ginger and green chili is absent .In Delhi even now the tomatoes are selling at Rs 120 -140 per kilogram .The wholesale prices of green chili is 50-75 a kilogram and in retail it is selling at Rs 80-120 a kg .In Chennai green chili is selling at RS 200 a kg and thus the prices of tomato ,ginger ,green chili etc is a fire as their prices do not show the signs of going down but their prices are skyrocketing and putting the consumers to great inconvenience and trouble .Tomato has upset the taste .In all cities of India tomatoes are selling at more than Rs 100 per kg .In some cities the prices of tomato is Rs 150/160 .In Azadpur mandi of Delhi which is the largest vegetable and fruit Mandi in Asia ,the price of tomato is Rs 60-120 at wholesale price .Due to incessant rains and deficiency in supply of tomato ,the retail price of tomato is Rs 140 per kg in Delhi-NCR .When will the prices of tomato be controlled .Today tomatoes are sold at Rs 160 per kg in Delhi ,other cities including Jammu and Kashmir .After tomato prices ,the price of ginger has shoot up to Rs 400 per kg and it has made people to weep .The budget of kitchen has increased and upset .After tomato ,the price of Ginger has given a  big jerk to the food budget of a household .As per the reports the price of ginger is at Rs 300 -400 in Karnataka .Karnataka is the second largest producer of ginger and the chilling is  that it is selling at Rs 300 -400 in the markets of this state .In the financial year 2022 MP was the biggest producer of ginger in the country .After tomatoes ,ginger now is shaking household budgets .Prices touch Rs 400 a kg in Karnataka. The price of ginger in open markets in Karnataka has surged to unprecedented levels ,with a kilo now costing between Rs 300-400.The surge has been a boon for ginger producers and a bane for the consumers .However the reports of theft are reported from many cities and the farmers have now installed CCTV’s in their farms to avoid losses due to theft .After tomato ,the humble ginger is now causing significant shockwaves in the household food budget .With prices soaring to unprecedented levels ,a kilo of ginger is selling at Rs 300-400 and it has given sleepless nights to the housewives and the common consumers .It is disturbing that the prices of kitchen essentials like tomato and ginger have shot up in the last fortnight .While the recent unseasonal rains have affected the tomato crop in northern India ,ginger farmers on the other hand  are holding back their crop and allowing the prices to surge to recover the losses they had faced last year .Tomato prices have increased because tomato supply to Azadpur Mandi in Delhi has dwindled as rains have damaged the crop .The prices will remain firm for some time now ,till the crop comes  said Ashok Kaushik ,president of the Tomato Traders Association .There is huge demand for tomatoes from southern India ,which too is pushing up prices said Kaushik .The federal government and the state governments should show their presence and not allow the holding back of ginger and control the prices of tomato and ginger and till then it is safe to say that there is Tomato versus Ginger in the Indian markets as the prices of both are soaring very high and putting consumers to great inconvenience.

(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)