Bhubaneswar, July 7: The curry has lost its flavour with vegetable prices soaring rather suddenly in the capital.

Normally, around this time of the year, veggies used to come rather cheap. However, much to the chagrin of homemakers, prices of not just seasonal vegetables, but also onion have gone up.

Onion, which used to sell for Rs 10 to Rs 12 a kg a fortnight ago, now costs Rs 16.

Vegetable merchants blame the rain for damaging the local crop, as also the crop in Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, which supply the bulk of vegetables to the state. The supply from these states meets around 50 per cent of the demand.

Tapas Dalai, senior member of management committee, Rajdhani Daily Market Traders Association, said: “Usually, in the pre-monsoon period, if rainfall is more, there is a crop loss in case of green vegetables. But this year, not only the local production, but also the production in Bengal and Andhra Pradesh was affected. Therefore, the prices have gone up.”

Regarding the rise in prices of onion, Dalai said: “Even before the monsoon, the onion-producing belt in Maharashtra witnessed unprecedented rains causing damage due to rise in the moisture level. In fact, the onions are stored in open stockyards with a roof over them. Therefore, when the surrounding environment changes drastically, the onions tend to perish. The rise in diesel price has also contributed towards rise in the transportation costs.”

Kabiraj Swain, secretary of the Raw Vegetable Merchants Association, termed the crisis as a temporary one and predicted that things would fall in place.

“Just two days ago, we sold green chillies for Rs 60 a kg, which was far more than the normal rate during monsoon. But now it has come down to Rs 25 to Rs 35. The situation is changing almost everyday as per the availability of the produce. Tomato was selling at Rs 16 to Rs 18 a fortnight ago, but today, it is selling for Rs 24 a kg. Only cabbage was having a constant price of Rs 14-a-kg. Capsicum was selling for Rs 70 a week ago. But now it is again back to Rs 50-a-kg.

“Once the monsoon is over and the produce from the neighbouring states start coming again, prices will definitely come down,” Swain said.

Hemanta Biswal, area manager of a pharmaceutical company, said: “Increase in the vegetable prices added salt to the wounds in the household economy, which had already been hit by the LPG price rise. We have also lost interest in kitchen garden even when a small patch of land is available. As all have become consumers, the local production loss affects every pocket.”

Bikash Mohanty, a company executive, said: “Whether a government or company employee, the rise in vegetable prices during the monsoon will definitely going to affect people. Production of the green vegetables near the capital city also needs to be enhanced. When most of the agricultural land is being converted to the real estate patches, the effect is seen in this type of scarcity.”

Santosh Kumar Sahu, a vegetable merchant, said: “Now, everybody wants to have an urban life and no one is interested in cultivation. Therefore, when the land near the capital city is not producing enough vegetables and all are eyeing the production coming from other states, price rise is obvious. However, it will come down again once the weather condition changes.”