DNA Exclusive: Ground report on ‘lemon emergency’

The price of lemon has increased dramatically over the last few days. The lemon which was available in the market at a price of Rs 2 is now being sold for Rs 15. However, you will be surprised that in spite of such an increase in prices, farmers are still getting only Rs 2-2.5 for a lemon. 

Zee News Editor-In-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary makes an analysis of why lemons are getting so expensive.

Normally, the prices of lemons do not go above Rs 80 per kg. Even during the summer season when the demand for lemon is highest, its prices remain stable. But lemon has broken all the records this season, and in the last two months, the price of lemon has increased by 8 to 10 times.

The retail price of lemon in Delhi has reached Rs 350 per kg, and it is being sold for Rs 300 in Surat, Rs 400 in Jaipur, Rs 428 in Noida, Rs 420 in Haryana, Rs 320 in Mumbai and Rs 300 in Kolkata and Uttarakhand. 

But why have its prices suddenly become so high? The biggest reason behind this is the unseasonal rain. The lemon crop yields every four months. That is, if a farmer has cultivated lemon in the months of September and October, then he can sell his crop in the market not before March. But this time there was unseasonal rain last year in the months of September and October in many states. And due to this rain, the cultivation of lemon was affected badly.