ROURKELA: There is no let-up in the food price inflation. The mounting cost of vegetables has added to the woes of the residents of Sundargarh district.Market sources said there has been a quantum leap in the vegetable prices with cauliflower and capsicum touching Rs. 50-a-kg. Similarly, bitter gourd, pear gourd (Parval), cabbage, brinjal, radish and lady’s finger are being sold at Rs. 40 per kg. Tomato comes cheaper at Rs. 25 per kg, while the longer variety of bean has become pricey at Rs. 32 per kg. Even raw papaya has jumped to Rs. 20 per kg, while local varieties of gourds and raw banana are available for Rs. 30 per kg. The only respite is the potato price which has been constant at Rs. 10-a-kg, while onion costs Rs. 20-a-kg. Local vegetable growers have attributed the price rise to low crop yield and crop loss due to unfavourable weather conditions. The recent spell of intermittent rain in the vegetable growing pockets of Sundargarh district and the neighbouring Jharkhand reportedly damaged standing vegetable crop. In many cases, local farmers were forced to harvest vegetables prematurely to avoid loss. Nuagaon farmer Gajendra Sahu said following two successive failed monsoons, the farmers opted for vegetables which require less water. Continuous rainfall led to waterlogging in the fields damaging vegetables, he added.
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