High Vegetable prices hurting Gangtokians

Gangtok,October10: Prices of vegetables have gone up these days as seen here in local market and in weekly haat. Rates have gone high in all the local items as those from Siliguri. The present rates (per kilogram) are: onion Rs.30/- which was rupees Rs.20 per kg last week, tomato Rs. 25 which was Rs.20 before, local Potato Rs.30 which was Rs.25 and potato brought from Siliguri Rs.22 which was Rs.15 to 18, beans Rs.20 which was Rs.10, brinjal Rs.20 which was Rs.10, radish rupees Rs.20 which was 10 per kg, cabbage Rs.20 , karela Rs.32 which was Rs.10 to 15, vendi Rs.32, saag (palak, rayo) rupees 10 one bundle, which was Rs.5, chilli (dalle) Rs.100 per kg which was Rs.60.
Similarly, prices of fruits have also shot up. Banana Rs.30 per dozen which was Rs.25, apple Rs.120 per kg which was Rs.70, Mausami Rs.50 per kg which was Rs.35. Sugar price has gone up to Rs.36 per kg from Rs.29.
According to one local customer, Mr. Rinzing Sherpa of Kartok, the rates of all the vegetables are very high. He said the main cause for higher rates may be due to over population and less production. “We the villagers have to buy vegetables brought from Siliguri which are not available in our village and also the vegetables grown in our village but not sufficient for us”, he said. Another customer Chandra Kala Sharma said, “All vegetables have become costlier than before. In this situation, it is very hard to for the lower middle class people to survive”, she remarked.
Villagers who sell their products in the haat like Buddha Singh Rai of Pachak and DB Manger of Namcheybong said “we have to sells our products according to the rates ruling in the market. Rates of all other commodities have gone high; in such situation we also have to raise our vegetable rates”.
Pakyong Sub-divisional Magistrate, Mrs. Roshni Rai said that the rates of vegetables is high in Siliguri and it becomes still higher when brought to Pakyong and other parts of the state. Local vendors fix the rates of vegetables according to the market and also bargain with the customers, she added.