Potato prices have plunged in the Kathmandu valley with the arrival of new crops in the market. Prices in the wholesale and retail markets have dropped by upto 25 percent over the two weeks.

Red potato, which was being sold at Rs42-43 per kg, is now available at Rs30 per kg and the price of white potato has come down to Rs28-30 per kg from Rs 40 per two weeks ago.

In the wholesale market, potatoes are selling at Rs22-Rs26 per kg, down from the previous rate of Rs28-Rs35. Most of the wholesale markets, including those in Kalimati and Balkhu, have reported surge in the supplies.

According to officials at Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board, around 10 truck loads of potato are being shipped into Kalimati from surrounding areas in Kathmandu. A truck contains around 15 tonnes of potato.

“Prices have dropped sharply over the weeks as the new crops are arriving in quantities,” said Dipendra Shrestha, a wholesaler in Kalimati, attributing the drop in price to the supply halt in the Tarai. He claims all the crops have piled up in the wholesale markets of the Valley due the ongoing unrest in the southern plains.

“Demand is low in the Valley due to fuel crisis but supply has been rising,” said Shrestha, adding that huge drop in prices affected the vegetable farmers. Similarly, the price of onion has also dropped with the arrival of new crops in India. The country imports around 95 percent of the onion from India; prices have plunged there too.

Meanwhile, prices of vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, egg plant, French bean, bitter gourd have dropped by as much as 28 percent in the wholesale market in the last two weeks. Traders attributed the drop in prices to low demand although supplies have been affected by the Indian blockade and unrest in Tarai.