Traders from the city have either cancelled their consignments or have brought down import quantity. According to them, the import cost has increased a lot in the last one month.
Be it crunchy Washington and Fijji apples or strawberries from Sri Lanka, most of the fruits that are imported in India have become dearer. The reason behind it is weak rupee in comparison to dollar.
Traders from the city have either cancelled their consignments or have brought down import quantity. According to them, the import cost has increased a lot in the last one month.
Dragon fruit that was available at Rs 500 to 600 per box, containing 30 pieces is now available at Rs 2,000-2,200 per box. Similarly, cherry which is used at every sweet shop has seen around 60 per cent rise in price. At present, a five-kilogramme box of cherry is sold at Rs 8,000 while it was available for Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,000 a month ago.
Sanjay Pansare, a wholesale fruit trader and former director at a fruit market in Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Vashi said that weak rupee has severely impacted import. "Cost of imported fruits have seen a rise from 15 per cent to 30 per cent," said Pansare. However, he added that many traders have stopped importing at present.
According to the traders, the season of Indian fruits has also started, and the demand for imported fruit usually comes down during this period. "Since fruits are perishable commodities, they cannot be imported in huge quantities," said Pansare.
Around 40 types of fruits — from apple to avocado — are imported to the city. "There are specific fruits which have good demand and are imported round the year," said Mangal Shah, a trader from Crawford market in Mumbai.
According to the traders, due to weak rupee, they have to pay more for the same quantity and more amount of money attracts more import duty.
Apart from weak rupee, traders echoed that the rise in diesel price has also impacted the price of fruits. "The transportation cost has already shot up by 15 per cent which is also affecting the retail price of fruits," added Pansare.
UN-TOUCHABLE
- Prices of imported fruits have gone up by 15 to 30 per cent.
- Many traders have stopped importing due to the price rise.
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