By TRN Online, Kathmandu, April 24: Price of vegetables and fruits has skyrocketed. Price of vegetables has gone up by 69 percent while that of fruits by 41 percent.

Information Officer of Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board, Binay Shresthra, said that price has increased due to lower production.

Nepal imports vegetable and fruits from India to meet its demand. Shrestha added that 30 to 40 percent of the total vegetables come from India, 7 to 8 metric ton on daily basis.

Vegetable trader Geeta Acharya said that "Retail price has increased in the last few days. Increase is due to rise in the wholesale price".

The Board informed that price of pumpkin is Rs. 55 per kg on 23 April. Price of red cabbage is Rs 110, green beans rose to Rs 95, price of lettuce increased from Rs 12 to Rs 33, price of peas rose from Rs 75 to Rs 155, price of green pumpkin increased from Rs 28 to Rs 55. Wholesale price of coriander rose from Rs 45 to Rs 87, local cauliflower increased to Rs 75, onion increased to Rs 87, cucumber of Rs 65 increased to Rs 90 and pineapple touched Rs 130.

According to Shresthra, the price of vegetable has continuously been rising since March. Dhading, Nuwakot, Kavre, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Dhulikhel, southern plain and India are the main suppliers of vegetable in Kathmandu.

Similarly, price of fruits has also been rising rapidly. Price of green grapes has increased from Rs 155 to Rs 190 per kg in the span of one month. Black grapes increased by 38 percent to Rs 290. Price of orange by 26 percent to Rs 195 a kg, price of Apple increased by 3 percent to Rs 195, price of watermelon increased by 6 percent to Rs 48, and banana increased by 11 percent to Rs 120 a dozen.

President of the Consumer Rights Investigation Forum, Madhav Timilsina, said that since sporadic monitoring did not improve the manipulation, there is a need to have strategic monitoring for the prices to control.