Extreme winter means costlier summer staples

Mumbai: The whimsical mood swings of the fruit and vegetable markethavethrown up another paradox.Vineyard producelikecucumber and grapes are summer staples and hardly see demandduring winter,especially given theextreme chill seen this year. Still, prices are soaring to unprecedentedheightswith a singlecucumber costing Rs 10, or Rs 80 per kg. 

    Pomegranate has hit new highs of Rs 180 per kg, while both green and black grapes are selling for an astronomical Rs 100-120, up from the average Rs 60-70 in summer. 
    Vendors say the bitter winter has damaged the vines. Like the cucumber creepers of Karnataka, the fabled vineyards of Nashik have seen layers of ice form upon grape leaves, leading them to turn black. The seed has split down the middle.Thishascausedsuppliestobecomeerratic, raising prices to unprecedented levels. 
    Monday evening, a homemaker from Bandra shopping for salad requirements was shocked to findthat a singlesmallcucumber costRs10. Shivcharan Gupta, a vendor in Pali Naka, confirmed thattheitemhasbeen selling for Rs80 per kg since a week. "The normal rate is Rs 28-32 per kg, but this year,thebitter coldhasdestroyedthecrop,so 
arrivals are slow. Customers are not buying at this astronomical rate," he says. 
    Wholesaler Dilip Kumar Gupta says, "Retail costs are marked up by Rs 10-15 over wholesale prices owing to transportation and wastage. Last week, white cucumber was sold for Rs 25-30 in Vashi,so naturally costs rosetoRs60in the neighbourhood market." 
    Restaurants are using less of each. The slices of cucumber in a regular vegetable sandwich are fewer andthinner while mixedfruitjuicehasless grape and moresweetlimeor pineapple. "Cucumber is a staple in our vegetable sandwich so we cannot entirely abandon it but we are certainly placing fewer slices between our bread," says Nagesh Naik of Ramnath Snacks which is frequented by the office workers of Lower Parel. 
    In Vile Parle, Shri Annapurna Juice Centre is trying itsbestto absorbthehighcostof grapesby buying smaller quantities. "Fortunately, customers do not choose the juice of grapes alone, they prefer a mix with sweet lime or pineapple. So we add volume by using more of the other fruits," says staffer Chaitanya Jawle. Jawle's worries are concentrated on pomegranate that has hit Rs 180 per kg in hislocal market.Thejuiceof thisfruitis sold solo, with not even the fig leaf cover afforded by dilution. 
    With the weather gods, there is no argument.