Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, April 15: Vegetable prices have gone up over the past week inconveniencing consumers. The price of seasonal vegetables such as pointed gourd and cucumber is hovering between Rs 30 and Rs 35 in various vegetable markets of the capital city and the price of potato has touched Rs 14.

“The expensive vegetables have gone out of reach of the common people,” said Sarita Pradhan, a homemaker. The price of brinjal and lady’s finger is hovering around Rs 25 a kg while drumsticks cost Rs 50, up from Rs 30 a week ago.

“With the rise in prices of potato and other vegetables, it has become very difficult to manage the family budget,” said Kavita Biswal, another homemaker.

Although the city depends on states such as Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh for vegetables including pointed gourd, potato, onion, cabbage and cauliflower, vegetables are also grown locally at Pipili and other parts of Khurda. Thunder squalls on Wednesday night damaged vegetables grown locally.

“Lack of proper irrigation facilities, coupled with frequent natural calamities, have taken a toll on vegetable production. To meet the demand, we have to import vegetables from the neighbouring states and hence, the price goes up,” said general secretary of Rajdhani Dainik Haat Byabasayi Mahasangha Gayadhar Swain, adding that the prices could go up further.

The silver lining is that the price of green mangoes have decreased from Rs 30 to Rs 15 a kg following the storms.

The situation is the same in Cuttack and prices of vegetables have increased by almost 10 to 15 per cent from last week. The price of potato is between Rs 13 and Rs 15 a kg as compared to Rs 8 to Rs 10 last week. The prices of tomato, pointed gourd, brinjal, bitter gourd, lady’s finger and tomatoes have doubled in the past week.

Brinjal, which was being sold at Rs 10 to 15 a kg last week, is now available at Rs 20 to 25. Pointed gourd and lady’s finger are being sold between Rs 40 and Rs 45 a kg. Bitter gourd is selling for Rs 25 to 30 and tomato for Rs 25 to 30 a kg.

“I am now forced to spend at least Rs 140 a week to buy vegetables for myself. Earlier, I used to spend not more than Rs 100,” said M.F. Alam, 33, a resident of Gandarpur.

Traders at Chatra Bazar, the wholesale vegetable market, said prices had gone up over the last two weeks because of the lack of local production and extra transportation cost.

“We are helpless as the bulk of vegetables, including potatoes, are being brought from Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Maharastra,” said Ramakant Prusty, a vegetable trader. Vegetable sellers said the price hike was because of a decline in the local production and inadequate supply of vegetables from the neighbouring states.

Besides, lack of adequate cold storage facilities is also to be blamed for rise in the prices of vegetables.

“It is particularly during monsoon and summer that the prices of vegetables go up every year. This is mainly because the local traders want to hoard vegetables,” said Basant Moharana, a resident of Jhanjirmangala.