No lemonade for common man? Single lemon now costs Rs 10, prices higher than apples, oranges

It seems like the common man will not be able to afford any lemonade this summer, especially in the midst of the brutal heatwave in several parts of the country. The price of lemon has now soared to unimaginable rates, with a single lemon priced at Rs 10 in Hyderabad!

With the arrival of summers in India, the price of lemons in parts of the country has gone up significantly, with vendors and the common man getting hit the hardest. The procurement of lemons has become harder as people are not looking to buy citrus fruit at such high rates.

"The prices have gone really high. Earlier, we used to purchase a whole lemon sack for Rs 700 which now costs Rs 3,500. We are selling a single lemon for Rs 10 and nobody is ready to buy it. Nobody is ready to accept that the prices have gone up and are leaving without the purchase of the lemons," Venkatesh roadside vendor told ANI.

A lady retailer named Lakshmi also seemed hit by the increase in lemon rates, as she said that she bought an entire bag of lemons at the whopping price of Rs 3000. Because of this, not many people are looking to buy lemons anytime soon, leading to major losses for the vendors.

"I have bought the whole bag for Rs 3,000 and selling a dozen for Rs 120 but nobody is ready to buy. The green lemons can be sold even after two days but the yellow ones need to be sold right away as they get rotten. Nobody is buying lemon at such a higher price," said Lakshmi.

A customer named Tarannum said, “The prices are very high. I bought a dozen of lemons for Rs 120. Earlier, I used to purchase them for Rs 20. The prices are increasing due to the summer season.”

Not just lemons, but fruits and vegetables, in general, have become more expensive due to inflation in the current summer season. Lemon is being sold at around Rs 200 to 300 per kg in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, while the price of the gourd is Rs 30 per kg in the mandi.

The main reasons which have been linked with the rise of lemon prices are lesser yield and higher demand for the fruit during the Navratri and Ramzan season. The fuel price hike in India is also a reason behind lack of supply of lemons in the market, leading to a price hike.

(With ANI inputs)