Bengaluru families slash veggie consumption amid price surge

Bengaluru: A recent survey by the community social media platform, LocalCircles, revealed that rising vegetable prices has forced many households to reduce their consumption.

The survey, garnering nearly 1,700 responses from Bengaluru citizens, indicates that approximately 16% of them have already begun cutting back on essential vegetables like potato, tomato, and onion. Many others expressed that they may also have to reduce purchases, if prices exceed Rs 60 per kilogram.

Over the past one month, the prices of many vegetables have skyrocketed in the city, with many of them hitting as high as Rs 200 per kg.

Household budgets

Prices of vegetables have a direct impact on household budgets.

While the households can avoid purchasing a few vegetables that could burden them financially, vegetables like onion and tomato are a basic requirement and this makes it difficult to completely avoid purchasing them.

Many households that the DH spoke to said that they were now trying to be cautious in the use of vegetables.

"While we can avoid preparing a few dishes that require more vegetables, we cannot avoid using tomato and onion since they are almost a basic requirement for every dish we prepare. While we have stopped purchasing vegetables like beans, which have hit a high, we are only trying to cut down and use tomatoes and onions cautiously,” said Padma S, a homemaker from South Bengaluru.

The survey stressed the need for intervention from the local administration during such situations.

“During the height of summer and monsoon there is a tendency for vegetable prices to rise steeply. Given the experience of the past, the government and local administration needs to be more proactive so that retailers do not take undue advantage of the situation,” the survey said.