Vegetable prices soaring high despite increased production

As per basic economics, the demand for goods decreases with the increase in production, which would eventually lead to a price drop. Strangely, despite the Agriculture Department's reports of a significant increase in the production of vegetables in the state, the market prices of even local vegetables produced in the state are not coming down, making things difficult for consumers. The increased production of vegetables in Kerala is definitely a positive development, thanks to the utilization of fallow lands and terraces for vegetable cultivation. However, the government should introduce comprehensive vegetable production projects at the state level to make sure that consumers have access to these vegetables at fair prices.

The other day, Agriculture Minister P Prasad announced the good news that one such project would be launched on January 1. The new drive, led by the agriculture department, will be implemented through the local self-government bodies. According to the figures presented by the government, 17.21 lakh tons of vegetables were produced from 1.15 lakh hectares of land in the state in the financial year 2023-24. However, the state's annual vegetable requirement stands at 20-21 lakh tons, indicating a shortage of nearly 5 lakh tons. Vegetables produced in private fallow lands and terraces will primarily be sold in the local markets. However, wholesale vegetable markets continue to depend on stocks from neighbouring states for main vegetable varieties. The prices of items, which are purchased directly from farmers at meagre prices, increase five to eight times by the time they reach the retail outlets. The huge profit margin of the middlemen is the main factor that results in this increase in prices.

Although the Agriculture Department has launched some projects to promote vegetable cultivation, such as utilizing fallow land for vegetable farming and the 'Onathinu Orumuram Pachakkari' initiative, these initiatives are limited only to local levels. Currently, there is no comprehensive vegetable production project with proper yield targets at the state level. Apart from the new project to be launched in the new year, the Agriculture Department's new year calendar also includes 'NAWO-DHAN', another project that aims to expand vegetable cultivation to 50,000 hectares of fallow land. The 'NAWO-DHAN' project, which experiments with hybrid seeds that yield more in less space and modern farming methods, is something Kerala should have adopted many years ago.

As the area of ​​land that can be used for agriculture is decreasing, the realization that there is a need for ways to harvest more from the available land in a state like Kerala is welcome. The government intervenes in Kerala's vegetable market mainly through Horticorp centres under the Agriculture Department. Although prices at these centres are relatively lower than those in public markets, most consumers prefer purchasing from private vegetable shops. To make vegetables available at profitable prices in private shops, Kerala must reduce dependence on other states for vegetables and eliminate middlemen. Let us hope that the Agriculture Department's newly announced projects, set to be launched in the new year, will make Kerala self-sufficient in vegetable production.