According to Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Board (KFVMDB), prices of seasonal vegetables such as sponge gourd, brinjal, radish, green beans, french beans, tomato, pumpkin, cowpea, spinach leaf and carrot have decreased by Rs 3 to Rs 20 per kg.[break]
Ramesh Dangol, planning officer at KFVMDB, said that vegetable prices have gone down on Monday compared to a day ago as supplies from neighboring districts increased. “On Monday more than 650 tons of vegetables entered the market which used to receive 450 tons only until Saturday,” said Dangol. “This is the highest supply surge this month,” he added.
Vegetables come to KFVMDB from districts such as Kavre, Dhadhing, Sarlahi and Chitwan.
Sponge gourd, which was Rs 50 per kg in the wholesale market a day ago, has gone down to Rs 45, brinjal down to Rs 36 per kg from Rs 40, radish to Rs 40 from Rs 45, green beans to Rs 60 from 68, french beans to Rs 65 from Rs 60, tomato to Rs 35 from Rs 40 and carrot to Rs 56 from Rs 60 per kg.
“The price of vegetables will dip further if it rains as vegetables prosper when there is rain,” said Dangol. Kathmandu Valley´s daily requirement of vegetables is estimated at 1,000 tons and Kalimati supplies 70 percent of this.
Retailers have not reduced their prices in line with the decline in wholesale prices as increased prices earlier had affected sales. Besides, they say that as they still have stocks built up when prices went up and vegetables perish easily in summer they have had to bear huge losses.
The price of vegetables differs by as much as 25 percent in the retail and wholesale markets and customers are still paying higher prices though wholesale prices have eased.
Dangol said that the difference in prices is due to lack of a proper pricing mechanism and also lack of monitoring.
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