Agartala, September 13: A visit to the weekly market in Kalyanpur has highlighted the growing strain on household budgets, with consumers reporting high prices of vegetables and other everyday essentials and alleging that subsidised sugar has been unavailable through fair-price shops.
Shoppers said the rising cost of basic food items was forcing them to alter their purchasing habits. For families dependent on daily wages and fixed incomes, consumers said, meeting routine household requirements has become increasingly challenging.
Onion was available at Rs 60-70 per kg at the market, while garlic was selling at around Rs 200 per kg. Mustard oil, another regular kitchen requirement, was priced at approximately Rs 200-215 per litre.
Vegetable prices were also reported to be high. Cauliflower was selling at around Rs 200 per kg and ridge gourd at Rs 80 per kg. Green chilli was priced at Rs 160 per kg, while bitter gourd and brinjal were available at Rs 50 per kg.
Pointed gourd was being sold at Rs 40 per kg and radish at Rs 20 a bunch. Sweet pumpkin was priced at Rs 20 a bunch, with individual pieces also reportedly selling for Rs 20.
Consumers said such prices were making it difficult to purchase vegetables and other items in the quantities normally required by their families. Some shoppers said they were buying less or avoiding certain commodities altogether to prevent their weekly expenditure from exceeding their available income.
The alleged shortage of sugar through the public distribution system has emerged as an additional concern.
According to consumers, fair-price shops did not receive sugar in August and supplies had not resumed in September. They said the government-prescribed price under the ration system is Rs 32 per kg.
In contrast, sugar was reportedly selling for around Rs 70 per kg in the open market. Consumers said the absence of subsidised supplies was leaving them with little choice but to pay the higher market rate, which they claimed was also subject to fluctuations.
Residents said the problem was part of a broader increase in household expenditure. Prices of rice, pulses, cooking oil, onion, garlic, vegetables and sugar were collectively adding to the cost of running a household, they said.
For daily wage earners, the situation was particularly difficult as earnings remained limited while food expenses continued to rise. Some consumers said they were occasionally forced to leave the market without purchasing all the items on their shopping lists.
Middle-class families were also reportedly making adjustments, cutting expenditure on other household requirements to accommodate higher food costs.
Consumers expressed concern that further increases could make essential commodities increasingly unaffordable for families with irregular or limited incomes.
They called for attention to both the prevailing market prices and the alleged interruption in sugar distribution through fair-price shops, particularly given the wide gap between the subsidised rate and the open-market price.
No official reaction was available in the report concerning the reported commodity prices or the alleged non-availability of sugar through the ration network.
