With floods continuing to spread havoc in the eastern part of the country, vegetable prices have skyrocketed in Bihar as heavy rains and floods damaged standing crops and stocks.
Patna, Aug 7 : With floods continuing to spread havoc in the eastern part of the country, vegetable prices have skyrocketed in Bihar as heavy rains and floods damaged standing crops and stocks.
Prices of some vegetables have multiplied beyond belief for customers over the past few weeks.
"We are not getting vegetable in the required quantity. Whatever is available now, they are way too costly. This is the month of Sawaan so we cannot have meat and all. Everything is so expensive that the things we use to buy earlier in kilograms we now buy only about half a kilo or 250 gm of it," said Rajesh Kumar, a customer.
Vegetable vendors blamed heavy rains for the deficient supply, and said there has been at least 35 to 40 percent hike in the prices.
"All the fields got inundated in the flood. Only those vegetables that survived the flood are sold here. Everything is pretty much expensive now since vegetables are brought in from outside the state," said Lalan Rai, a shopkeeper.
About 2.5 million people have been displaced or stranded due to incessant rains over the past fortnight in 11 districts of Bihar, with Muzaffarpur being the worst affected.
Floodwaters have inundated thousands of hectares of farmlands, damaging standing crops, including vegetables, which has resulted in shortage in the local markets.
ANI