The price of lemon has seen a huge spike in the last week, with the citrus fruit selling at around Rs 350 a kg in Ghaziabad wholesale vegetable market. Traders are surprised and say such prices are unprecedented.
According to news agency ANI, lemon is being sold at Rs 10 per piece in Hyderabad. In Gujarat, it is being sold at Rs 200 per kg.
"The prices have gone really high. Earlier, we used to purchase a whole lemon sack for Rs 700 which now costs Rs 3,500. We are selling a single lemon for Rs 10 and nobody is ready to buy it. Nobody is ready to accept that the prices have gone up and are leaving without the purchase of the lemons," a vendor told ANI.
Why are lemons getting expensive?
Traders blame the rising fuel prices for the increase in vegetable rates. "In my 30 years of business, lemons have sold for a maximum of Rs 150 a kilo but they have never touched Rs 300 a kg. Diesel prices have increased the cost of transportation by Rs 24,000 a truck," Tilak Saini, a wholesaler, told NDTV.
Just a fortnight ago, the lemons were retailing at Rs 50-100 per kg.
Another wholesale dealer told ANI that price hike is majorly due to a shortage in supply and high demand during the ongoing summer season.
"We were selling lemon at Rs 60 per kg three weeks ago, which has now crossed Rs 200 per kg, that too in the peak season, when supply, as well as demand, is generally high," the trader said.
"But the production of the lemon crop has been less this time and the demand is high due to Ramzan and due to the increase in temperature," he added.
Are prices of only lemons going up?
No. The prices of green chilies - a kitchen essential - and vegetables like bitter gourd have doubled in two weeks.
"Due to the constant rise in prices of petrol, diesel and CNG, prices are skyrocketing but our income is only decreasing," a customer Sonu Sharma told NDTV.
Several vendors have said that they have stopped giving green chilies for free to customers.
