Out of reach of consumers

In the past one year the cost of vegetables and other grocery items increased drastically and it is quiet surprising that the common man is adjusting his belly and not resisting the hikes. The cost of vegetables like beans, potatoes, onion etc have risen to such an extent that some middle class families started consuming non vegetarian food regularly as it is a cheaper option. Middle class families have now started to rethink their daily menus. We can see a crowd now a days in the department stores and other government outlets where prices are comparatively lower. The high prices are especially affecting lower middle class families having fixed monthly income. The price hike made families to stick to one vegetable along with food while earlier they were able to consume multiple dishes. I still remember my earlier days at Chennai when the prices of vegetables were less. If I am buying vegetables for 100 rupees, I get enough quantity and it was sufficient for our 3-member family for a couple of weeks. Now a days, 250 rupees is not enough to purchase vegetables for a week. Earlier cereals were very common in our menus, which has become a rare item for us now due to the price hike.
The one major reason which caused the price hike is the heavy rain that happened few months back which has badly affected the crops. But even after the end of rainy season merchants are selling the commodities at a higher rate for their additional benefit even though the farmers are getting a nominal price for their products. The increased transportation charges due to hike in fuel price has also lead to the increase in the cost of consumables. But unfortunately the government has not done any sincere attempts to control the price hike. Even though the government has now started importing vegetables from other countries, the price hike is not under control. Consumers in a state like Kerala which is totally depended on other states for the agricultural products, are severely affected due to the short supply and hence the price hike. There is only one way to control the prices of these commodities. This is by developing new agricultural method and better productivity seeds. Also the consumers can start cultivating vegetables and fruits required for their daily use in their house itself. This does’t requires a huge land area and even it can be done on the terrace or in the available land. The best example is the Union Minister of State for Agriculture Mr. K. V. Thomas who has cultivated lot of vegetables in his official residence and distributed it among his colleagues and even to the Prime Minister. Most of the agricultural research centres are actively behind developing improved seeds, latest cultivation techniques and machineries. In earlier period cultivation was totally depended on manpower and involved a huge labour, but now a days you can see only few people working with the aid of latest technology and making the harvest in a huge area. There is no doubt that there should be a green revolution in order to see all these costlier vegetables in the kitchen of a common man.