Odisha floods push ginger to Rs 200, tomatoes to Rs 80

Household budgets in Odisha have been hit hard after recent floods drove vegetable and grocery prices sharply higher. Ginger has touched Rs 200 per kg, spine gourd Rs 200, garlic Rs 240, and tomatoes Rs 80. Onions have climbed to Rs 50, sugar from Rs 55 to Rs 65 per kg, and refined oil to Rs 180 per litre, with mustard oil at Rs 200-220. Traders attribute the sugar rise partly to sugarcane diversion for ethanol, while rainfall in Nashik disrupted onion supplies, worsening Odisha's flood-driven shortages.

The Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department has launched raids on potato and onion godowns in Bhubaneswar's Aiginia market to check stock availability and pricing. Officials are verifying whether warehouse prices match retail rates and whether traders are complying with norms. Laxmipriya Das, a Rourkela resident, said continuous rain has caused a vegetable shortage, forcing families to adjust their purchases as most items now cost over Rs 50.

The department's inspections are expected to clarify stock levels and wholesale pricing patterns. Onion prices are forecast to rise further in the coming days, adding to household financial strain across the state.