Vegetable Price In Chennai (July 18): What's Cheap, What's Costly Today?

The vegetable market has been a rollercoaster ride for consumers and vendors alike, with prices fluctuating daily on Thursday at the Koyambedu Wholesale Market in Chennai.

Notably, Tomatoes have witnessed a volatile pricing trend. Since the beginning of July, the price of tomatoes had been stable, ranging between Rs 35 and 45 per kg. However, a sudden influx of over 80 truckloads of tomatoes last week caused prices to plummet to Rs 25 per kg.

Unfortunately, heavy rains in the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka destroyed tomato crops, disrupting production and supply. As a result, tomato prices surged. On Monday, they were sold for Rs 40 per kg at the wholesale market, but by Tuesday, the retail price had escalated to Rs 80 to 90 per kg. This steep price remained unchanged through Wednesday. Today, however, consumers received a brief respite as tomato prices dropped to Rs 60 per kg.

Carrots have also seen significant price changes. Starting the month at Rs 60 per kg, the price spiked to Rs 80 before hitting Rs 100 per kg yesterday. Fortunately, today's market saw the price fall back to Rs 80 per kg.

Drumsticks have been another vegetable with fluctuating prices. In June, they reached a high of Rs 190 per kg. Over recent weeks, however, the price has gradually decreased. Yesterday, drumsticks were sold at Rs 80 per kg, but today they saw a slight increase to Rs 90 per kg, marking a Rs 10 rise.

Amidst these fluctuations, the price of peas has remained stable at Rs 220 per kg over the past few days, providing some predictability for shoppers. Similarly, other staple vegetables have shown consistent pricing: onions at Rs 40 per kg, potatoes at Rs 45 per kg, cabbage at Rs 40 per kg, cauliflower at Rs 50 per kg, and beans at Rs 90 per kg.

As the market continues to adjust, consumers and vendors alike are keeping a close eye on the prices, hoping for more stability in the coming days.