Surge in vegetable prices in Andhra Pradesh due to flood damage

VIJAYAWADA: Vegetable prices have surged across Andhra Pradesh due to the damage caused to vegetable farms and agriculture fields by the recent rains and subsequent floods.

Prices of essential vegetables have shot up over the last few days, placing additional burden on residents already grappling with flood-related losses.

Heavy rains, driven by a low-pressure system, hit the state in the last week of August, damaging vegetable crops in agricultural regions such as West Godavari, NTR, Krishna, Guntur, and Bapatla districts which supply the maximum quantity of vegetables to the state.

The damage was exacerbated by the floods in the first week of September, which further disrupted supply chains. The combined effect of rains and floods drastically reduced the availability of vegetables in local markets, widening the demand and supply gap, leading to shooting up of prices.

Staple vegetables like eggplant, okra, and various legumes have been particularly affected. With much of the state's vegetable supply wiped out, vendors are relying on imports from Rayalaseema region and some districts in Telangana to meet the demand.

In Vijayawada, the price of eggplant, which was Rs 15 per kg before the floods, has gone up to Rs 45, while okra has jumped from Rs 17 to Rs 55 per kg.

The cost of onions has soared to Rs 65/kg. Green leafy vegetables, a staple in many households, have become scarce in the markets. Traditionally sourced from Kunchanapalli and other areas in downstream of Prakasam barrage in Guntur , these crops were wiped out by the floods.


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