Impact of Assam shutdown Prices of essential commodities skyrocket
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 15 2019: Due to the unrest gripping Assam in the wake of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, the prices of goods and essential commodities in Manipur have shot up as no new stocks are being brought into the State anymore.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, the shopkeepers at Alu Galli, Thangal Keithel, said that earlier, due to the rise in price of onion felt all over the country, the Indian onion variety used to be sold at more than Rs 100 per kg.

The shopkeepers informed that around three months back, after the stock of Indian onion got depleted, the only alternative left was to import onion from Moreh side and added that this onion variety used by be sold at around Rs 40-50/kg .

Impact of Assam shutdown Prices of essential commodities skyrocket

However, this onion variety is now being sold at Rs 80-90 per kg, the shopkeepers informed.

Prices of other items have also shot up including the smaller variety of garlic which now costs Rs 170-180/kg while the larger variety of garlic goes for around Rs 100 per kg.

Moong dal used to cost Rs 70/kg, but now it costs Rs 93/kg.Potatoes with eyes or sprouts, which used to be sold for around Rs 26/kg, has also increased.

Dried chillies now cost Rs 230/kg (earlier they used to cost around Rs 170-180/kg) .

The prices of some varieties of dal have also increased although there are some whose prices still remain the same.

However, prices of packaged products have not increased yet, the shopkeepers pointed out.

Speaking to this reporter, a woman rice seller conveyed that Meitei Cheng is currently being sold at Rs 50/ kg even though it was sold for Rs 45-48/kg earlier.

Another shopkeeper said that earlier people used to complain when the said rice variety was sold for Rs 35-40/kg but now the price has reached Rs 50/kg and sometimes a little more.

On the other hand, an imported fish seller said that Rohu used to cost Rs 150/kg but now the fish costs Rs 170/kg.Now Sareng costs Rs 480-500/kg (from the earlier Rs 450/kg).Ngahei is now sold at Rs 160/kg (earlier it used to cost Rs 150/kg).The prices of Mackerel, Mrigal and Elisha still remain the same.

Prawns used to cost Rs 730/kg but now the price has climbed to Rs 750, she informed.

The woman fish seller continued that earlier, boxed fishes used to be imported into Manipur every single day but after the CAA issue gripped Assam, only two trips have reached Manipur this week.

If no fish import reach the State today, then there will be no more imported fish to sell anymore, she added.

Another woman fish seller informed that prices of local Rohu and Grass Carp have also risen Speaking to The Sangai Express, a vegetable whole seller from Nagamapal said that the prices of all vegetables have gone up by around Rs 10-20 .

Explaining that only the indigenous vegetables are not enough, the shopkeeper said that it has been three days since vegetables have not been imported into the State.

If the current stock gets over, then there will be no more vegetables to sell, he said.