If you are of the opinion that rising petrol and diesel prices have impacted just your fuel purchases only, then this news may well send you thinking. Petrol and diesel prices hit a fresh high on Monday with a rise of 23 paise a litre and diesel by 22 paise per litre respectively. This continuous jump in rates has just not affected your monthly spend on fuel but also on the essential goods like vegetables and fruits. Yes, prices of vegetables and fruits have increased in Mumbai in last few days due to the rising fuel prices.

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Not only potatoes, other vegetables' prices have shot up by up to 15-25 per cent. Even the prices of flowers have zoomed in the state ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi. 

Many traders from the Vashi wholesale market said that the prices would have zoomed further if the supply of fruits and vegetables was not in abundance. The vegetables and fruits prices may continue to trade in higher price bracket  for a long period as the farmers will have to bear the cost of high fuel prices, fear the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) traders.

“Many vegetable growing areas use diesel pumps to irrigate the fields. The rise in fuel price will certainly impact input cost,” said Bhupen Shah, a vegetable trader at APMC in Vashi to DNA.

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The high fuel prices have increased the vegetable transportation cost to cities and mandis.

A Vashi APMC official said that though there has been a marginal rise in transportation cost as of now, the retail prices are expected to see more impact.

Goods transporters expect that there will be up to 15 per cent rise in the transportation cost.

Prices of some vegetable have almost doubled in the last fortnight. Drumstick prices have shot up to Rs 80 per kg from Rs 40 per kg last Monday.