Vegetable prices in the Kathmandu valley have jumped over the last couple of days due to tight supplies as un-seasonal rains affected crops in many parts of country.

Wholesale prices of vegetables like cauliflower, eggplant, cowpea, French bean, sword bean, bottle gourd, squash and other leafy vegetables have jumped by up to 100 percent in the last one week, according to Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Wholesale Market.

Cauliflower price rose to Rs23 from Rs11 a week ago. Egg plant, which was sold at Rs24 per kg two weeks ago, now costs Rs33 per kg. The price of egg plant round increased to Rs43 per kg from Rs31. Cow pea costs Rs86 per kg, up from Rs63 per kg.

The price of sword bean jumped to Rs32 from Rs16, while bottle gourd price reached Rs38 per kg from Rs31 per kg. Squash rose to Rs21 per kg from Rs11, while French bean now costs Rs 35 per kg from to Rs31 per kg before. Broad mustard leaf is sold at Rs38 per kg, up from Rs21 per kg. The price of mushroom jumped 51 percent to Rs162 per kg, from Rs 107 per kg in the wholesale market.

According to officials of the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board, the market has been receiving 600-650 tonnes of vegetables daily on an average, against 650-700 tonnes last week. Other wholesale markets too reported a surge in vegetable prices. According to Shyam Lamichhane, manager of Balkhu Agriculture, Vegetables and Fruits Market, prices of most of the vegetables have gone up significantly.

“Due to heavy rainfall, many in Hill and Tarai regions, the supply has dropped,” he said, adding the Balkhu market has been receiving 400-450 kg per day on an average, against 450-500 tonnes before.

However, tomato price, which skyrocketed until last week, has started returning to normalcy. On Friday, tomato was traded at Rs32 per kg against Rs58 last week. Traders said they were receiving supplies from Lalbandi, Chitwan and Dhading, besides India.

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