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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Price of organic veggies go through the roof

-The Times of India


HYDERABAD: Organic vegetables, which have become popular in the city as a healthy alternative to pesticide-sprayed, mass-produced veggies, are now burning a hole in the pockets of consumers. Priced earlier at three times the price of regular vegetables, organic ones now cost up to 10 times the rate at rythu bazaars in the city!

According to a resident of Road No 13, Banjara Hills, who was introduced to organic vegetables a few months ago, the price is " obscene". "The cost of each tomato is Rs.10 at an outlet near Towlichowki. We ended up paying a huge amount and ended up with vegetables enough only for a week's use," he said.

In the organic vegetable market, rates are calculated per piece and not in kilograms. As per price charts, a bunch of spinach which would cost Re.1 at rythu bazaar is sold for Rs.10. Similarly, one cucumber would cost Rs.10. This means that vegetables for a week would end up costing around Rs.500 to Rs.1,000 for a family of three.

While middle class lovers of organic food blame the rising demand in upmarket areas for the higher prices, organic farm owners say the cost of production has gone up in the past one year. "Organic vegetables are cultivated without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. So the yield becomes less when compared to regular farming. But the current price of these vegetables is not justifiable," a customer said.

Others complained that organic farming has become just another profit-making venture. "When a group of software employees working in different companies in the city decided to cultivate organic crops, it was not just profit that they had in mind. They wanted to create a different food culture in Hyderabad to cater to those who are health-conscious. But now it has become just another profitable business," said M Kanaka Reddy, a consumer.