By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Nov. 23: The price of green vegetables has remained high in the Kathmandu Valley due to their short supply.
The price of almost all green vegetables in the wholesale market skyrocketed due to high demand against short supply, said Bhagwan Chandra Upreti, a wholesaler of the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board.
According to him, the supply of vegetables to the Kathmandu Valley stood at 500 tonnes daily against the demand of 1,000 tonnes that had led to a high increase in their prices.
Vegetable items such as cauliflower, cabbage, okra, bitter gourd, capsicum and beans are getting dearer as their prices in the wholesale market is more than Rs. 50 per kilogram, he said.
The wholesale rate of okra is Rs. 100 per kilogram, cauliflower Rs. 75 per kilogram, cabbage Rs. 60, capsicum Rs. 60 and bitter gourd at Rs. 60 per kilogram, he said.
A kilogram of fresh potatoes is Rs. 100 in the retail market.
However, consumers have been compelled to pay almost double price to purchase these items at retail markets.
According to Upreti, the price of tomatoes has started declining in the market after increase in supply.
The price of a kilogram of tomatoes came down to Rs. 30 in wholesale market from Rs. 60 per kilogram within a week, he said.
He said that the price of onions has further gone up in the Valley as the price of a kilogram of onion reached Rs. 160 in Kalimati wholesale market.
However, the price of Indian onions is Rs. 200 per kilogram in the retail market.
The price of onions started increasing in the country after India imposed ban on its export to Nepal due to insufficient production in India, he said.
He, however, said that the though Indian government had banned the export, onions are still being brought to Nepal.
According to him, around 40-50 tonnes of Indian onions is being supplied to Kalimtai market daily.