Fruit prices have gone up in the city ahead of Ugadi and the beginning of Ramzan.
Vegetables, however, remain affordable because of a supply glut. Flowers prices, too, have stayed low due to low demand.
Fruit traders are rejoicing because the harvest festival of Ugadi and the start of Ramzan are coinciding. Ugadi is on Saturday while Ramzan in most parts of India will begin on Sunday or Monday depending on the sighting of the moon.
Govindaraju, a fruit merchant at the Electronics City wholesale market, expects fruit prices to go up further by the weekend. Seasonal fruits such as watermelon and muskmelon are especially in great demand, he added.
Vegetable traders aren’t so lucky. The long monsoon last year and the intermittent rains this year have resulted in bumper yields in Karnataka and the neighbouring states, leading to a supply glut, traders at Kalasipalya say. Tomatoes are especially cheap, retailing for as low as Rs 10 or even less per kilogram.
In spite of Ugadi, flower prices have also remained stable, mainly because of the low
demand.
In KR Market, flowers such as jasmine retailed for Rs 400-500 per kg on Thursday. Crossandra (kanakambara) was priced at Rs 200-300 per kg and rose Rs 80 per kg.
Only sevanthige (chrysanthemum) was a tad costlier at Rs 160 per kg.
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