Vegetable prices have spiked in recent days leading shoppers to turn their backs on popular items and leaving retailers with piles of unsold stock.

Most vegetables now cost from Rs60 to Rs100 per kg, said the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Development Board (KFVDB).

According to retailers, customers have stopped buying a number of vegetables which they used to consume on a daily basis. Tomato prices have climbed sharply with the unforgettable vegetable now costing as much as Rs110 per kg. Prices of beans and capsicum in retail shops have reached Rs90 and Rs100 per kg respectively. The average price of mushroom is Rs165 per kg.

Sudeep Mainali, a vegetable retailer at Old Baneshwor, said that he had not been able to sell some of his stock pointing to a pile of cucumbers which had started to rot as they remained unsold for a long time due to the high prices. 

“We are compelled to sell the vegetables at a loss because much of our stock has become rotten as people are not buying them,” he complained. Another vendor Radhika Gurung from Sukedhara said that people were buying less vegetables than usual because they have become very dear. “Consumers who used to buy in bulk have now reduced the quantity they purchase,” said Gurung.

People said they had not been able to limit their purchases despite their desire to do so due to the high prices since their children are very picky. Sita Basnet from Sindhupalchok has a big family of five members. She says she spends around Rs7,000 per month on vegetables only. 

“Kids do not like to eat the same vegetable twice a day. Therefore, I have to cook different items and we are compelled to buy vegetables regardless of how much they cost,” says Basnet.

Prices have remained on the high side in recent months, but they are expected to drop to some extent as wholesalers rush to clear their stock because vegetables perish fast during the rainy season.

“Vegetable prices have started to decline as the country has been witnessing rain in recent days” said Ramesh Dangol, planning officer of the KFVDB.