Pune: The flavourful zest has gone out of homemade koshimbir, and the slice has slimmed down in hotel salads, and any food with a dash of lime is now a shade less citrusy.
Online platforms are selling them for as much as Rs 60 for 200g. “The vegetable vendor down the road is selling three limes for Rs 25. One sack of 20kg costs Rs 3,000-Rs 3,200 at present,” Santosh Pol, a wholesaler at Market Yard, said.
Wholesalers are saw fewer buyers due to the surging prices.
Pashan resident Beena Pillai said, “Limes come in abundance this time of the year and I wanted to pickle them and store for the year. We have started buying concentrated lime juice bottles till the prices fall,” Sarita Mehta, a resident of Wanowrie, said. Prices of onions, lime and tomatoes keep fluctuating so we have kept a small margin as buffer,” Ratan Ghule, a misal vendor in Kondhwa, said. “I have to buy limes for the nimboo pani and soda that I vend and will have to increase prices if limes don’t get cheaper,” Santosh Kale, a vendor near Pune railway station, said.
But their prices are higher than they were in peak summer. They are small and not even juicy. “There is no supply in the market at present. We have abundant limes during this season, but lack of rainfall has impacted the crop. “We can’t increase or reduce the price of food based on fluctuating prices of ingredients. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune
A trader in Market Yard said, “This is the first time in Aug-Sept that prices have surged so much. Another supplier said supply is just about half of the normal levels and nobody knows when arrivals will improve or when prices will stabilise. People are buying less and only as per necessity. Going by arrival numbers, prices are unlikely to ease in the next few weeks. It’s not only consumers and pickle makers but also juice shops, restaurants, caterers and street-food vendors who are struggling to manage high costs of lime.