Vegetable prices in the Kathmandu Valley have dropped over the last two weeks, providing relief to householders who have been forced to stretch their food budget after fresh produce became dearer on supply shortfalls.

Tomato, cauliflower, radish, egg plant, bean, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pointed gourd, snake gourd, snake gourd and pumpkin all have become cheaper. According to the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Committee, prices of most seasonal vegetables

have decreased during the past two weeks.

Likewise, prices of leafy

vegetables, mushroom, asparagus and lemon have fallen, according to sources at the Kalimati

wholesale bazaar. However,

carrot, cabbage and string bean are still dear. Prices of potato and onion remain unchanged on the higher side.

Rita Singh, a housewife and mother of two children, expressed happiness at the fall in prices. According to her, the money she sets aside for her food expenses is enough to buy her daily needs as vegetables have become cheaper. “A few months ago, it was hard to estimate how much I would be spending on vegetables,” she said.

According to vendors, prices have dropped due to increased production of seasonal vegetables with the start of the rainy season.

Ram Kumar Rana, a vegetable wholesaler at the Kalimati market, said he faced hard times a few months ago after supplies decreased due to the blockade and drought. “We are incurring heavy losses after vegetable prices decreased,” said Rana who hails from Dhading.

Meanwhile, Ram Bahadur Gatri, who has been selling vegetables at the wholesale market at Balkhu for the last 10 years, said that he was happy that prices had dipped. “Customers are starting to buy more fresh produce,” he said.  

“There was a time when we feared that our stock would rot as customers were turning away because of the high prices,

and we tried to sell the entire shipment as soon as it arrived. Sometimes, we kept our stall open till late at night.”