A major LPG shortage in Bengaluru has forced many hotels to shut down. This has tanked the demand for vegetables, causing prices to crash and leaving both traders and farmers worried about their livelihood.
Bengaluru: The city's ongoing LPG shortage is hitting more than just kitchens. Many hotels have been forced to either shut their doors or drastically cut their menus, and this has sent shockwaves through the city's vegetable markets.
With fewer buyers, vegetable sales have plummeted, and so have the prices. This has left traders extremely worried. They fear that if the situation doesn't improve soon, the vegetable trade could see an even bigger slump.
“For the last two or three days, business has been very dull. On Saturday, sales dropped by half,” said Raju, a wholesale trader at the Kalasipalya vegetable market. “Hotels are our main customers; they buy in bulk. But now they are either closed or cooking very little, so they aren't buying from us.”
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This drop in demand has caused prices to nosedive. At K.R. Market, carrots are going for just ₹20 a kilo, radish for ₹10, and brinjal for ₹20-30. Most other vegetables are hovering around the ₹40 mark. “Usually, prices go up in the summer. But this LPG problem has made them crash. I just hope this whole issue gets sorted out soon,” Raju added.
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Prakash, who runs a vegetable stall in Dasanapura on Tumakuru Road, told Kannada Prabha that his sales have dropped by about 10%. “People are still buying for their homes since they have domestic gas supply. But if this situation continues, it will become a big problem for us,” he said.
He's also worried about the upcoming wedding season after Ugadi. “Without gas, how will they cook for weddings? Even if they use firewood, it's very difficult to cook large amounts of food quickly,” he explained.
Ratnamma, who sells drumsticks and other vegetables, shared her frustration. “My business has been down for a week now. With the hotels closed, our sales have taken a huge hit. The vegetables we bring to the market are just not selling. From now on, I guess we'll have to bring less stock,” she said.
Impact on Farmers
The problem doesn't stop with the traders. It's now threatening to hit the farmers hard. If markets can't sell the existing stock, they won't buy fresh produce from farmers. What started as a problem for the hotel industry could soon become a major crisis for the farmers who grow our food.
