Price of a kilogram of apple imported from Chili, China and New Zealand varies from Rs 170 to Rs 200. That means each apple weighing about 250 gm, will cost Rs 45, for which one can buy a meal in any decent hotel in the City.
The main reason for the high price is dip in arrival. China apple which was sold at Rs 120 per kg in the first week of July, now costs around Rs 170. In July, green apple and chili apple were available in the market, but not now. The two varieties which are available at present are the ones imported from New Zealand and China.
Desi varieties of apple grown in Shimla and Jammu and Kashmir were expected to arrive by mid-July. But due to untimely rain, the arrival has been delayed. The transportation cost too adds to the price.
Keshavamurthy, Manager, Hopcoms (Marketing) said the Shimla and J&K apples are expected to arrive in the next 15 days. Once the supply begins, the prices of other varieties will come down, he added.
Only those who have developed taste for high-end varieties of apple purchase them despite the high price. But others have almost abandoned them.
The dip in supply has left fruit trays in many shops empty. An outlet of Jaivik Krishik Society in Lalbagh has no apples at all. “We sell only organically grown apples. We used to get apples from Himachal Pradesh. For the last one month there has been no supply,” said Ashwath, a fruit seller. Chand Pasha, another fruit seller in KR Market, said there was no stock in the wholesale market.
It is not that only apple is unaffordable, even the prices of other fruits have gone up. The price of poor man’s fruit like papaya (solo variety) has increased by Rs 7 a kg in just one month. A kg of banana (elakki) now costs Rs 35. These are the prices quoted by the Hopcoms. But the prices are much higher in supermarkets and roadside shops.
A kg of banana costs not less than Rs 50 in these shops. Even a small size guava (seebekai) costs Rs 5! It is only Musambi which is available at an affordable price.
Prices of a few vegetables have also gone up in one month. Vegetable sellers say fluctuation in vegetable price depends on daily arrivals in the market. Chandru, a vegetable seller at KR Market, said prices of vegetables normally go up during festivals.
