New Delhi, August 27: After maintaining a low for a few weeks, prices of vegetables are soaring again in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. With prices going up again, veggies are getting out of common man's reach. According to reports, prices of tomatoes, onions and potatoes have increased mainly because of the unavailability of vegetables amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hoarding is also suspected to be the reason behind the recent increase in prices. Maharashtra: Man Offers Vegetables for Free to Poor During Lockdown.

"Vegetables have become very expensive. Sales are getting very low as people are buying less vegetables due to inflation. Coriander is sold at Rs 200 per kilogram and Mircha for Rs 50 per kg," a vendor at Delhi's Daryaganj vegetable retail market told news agency ANI. This came after prices increased in wholesale markets. In Uttar Pradesh's Pryagraj, prices of vegetables such as onion and tomato have doubled in the retail market.

"Due to rain, vegetables have become so expensive that the vegetables (tomatoes and onions) used to be sold for Rs 40 per kg are now being sold for Rs 80 per kg, potatoes are sold at Rs 40 per kg," a vegetable seller at Pryagraj said. "Everyone is worried because of inflation. The government should find a solution to this problem," he added.

His views were echoed by another vegetable vendor in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal. "Due to excessive rainfall, a lot of the harvest has spoiled. Therefore, farmers can't recover their costs and prices are high," the vegetable seller said. Zucchini Health Benefits: From Weight Loss to Healthy Heart, Here Are Five Reasons to Eat This Vegetable.

Vegetable Price Rise in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh:

It is expected that vegetable price would increase further as the weather forecast predicted persistent rains during the following days in several parts of the country. Even if there is a marginal hike in prices in wholesale markets, retailers waste no time to increase rates significantly, whereas they take time to pass on the benefits of reduced prices to customers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2020 10:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).