Hyderabad: Heavy rains and flash floods over the last week that majorly hurt the state of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have damaged many crops, triggering a rise in vegetable prices across southern India. Thanks to a shortage, tomato prices surged at most markets across AP, reaching a whopping Rs 130 per kilogram at the Madanapalli market yard.
The combination of high demand and less supply of fresh tomatoes has lead to a surge in prices. The second-grade ones in terms of quality cost at least Rs 80 rupees at most markets, said media reports. In fact, even the price of tomatoes in Hyderabad soared above Rs 100 per kg, but there is no guarantee in terms of quality especially because of the effect of heavy rains.
Tomato is a staple vegetable used across kitchens in making basic dishes like dal, rasam, and sambar in most south Indian households. Prices for other items like potatoes, onions, leafy vegetables, etc also over the last one week have also shot up, resulting in massive inflation.
Consumers are feeling the heat due to the rising vegetable prices in the city, and small vendors are the worst affected by this inflation. With a majority of the vegetables arriving from neighboring states, a rise in fuel and transportation charges have also added to the vegetable costs.
Last week, heavy rains lashed Nellore, Chittoor, and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh under the influence of depression that crossed north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south AP coasts between Puducherry and Chennai.
Low-lying areas in the three districts were inundated while rivulets, streams, tanks, and reservoirs were overflowing. Tirupati was the worst affected, with about 30 people losing their lives in the ensuing floods. The massive downpour had paralyzed normal life, forcing authorities to declared a holiday for all educational institutions in the affected districts of AP.