KOLKATA: The cumulative effect of fuel price hike , weather, Eid holidays and a ban on imports from China on some fruits is threatening to shrink the platter this Jamai Sasthi.Buyers are sweating over the hike in fruit prices, that have jumped by at least 25% this year. The recent Eid break, when most fruit traders and workers associated with the trade went on leave, also created a temporary scarcity, driving up the prices further.General secretary of the Mechua Fruit Sellers’ Association Mohammad Iftekhar Alam said, “Fruit prices have been slightly higher this season for several reasons. The extreme climate has adversely affected the produce. Secondly, due to the fuel price hike, the transportation cost has shot up.”Primarily, there are only two fruits selling hot at present — mango and litchi. Mango is the predominant fruit in the market and litchi is fast approaching the end of its season this year. In New Market, the himsagar variety of mango is priced between Rs 70 and Rs 75 per kg, while the langda variety is selling for Rs 80 and above. At Spencer’s in Axis Mall, litchi is selling for Rs 99 per kg, while at Spencer’s Mani Square, bananas are selling for Rs 60 per dozen.“The traders took an Eid break for two days over the weekend. So very few trucks of fruits arrived at the market. There is shortage of mango and litchi in the market. During Jamai Shasthi the demand for both the fruits is high,” said another member of the association.The shoppers had to shell out extra bucks for the fruits on Tuesday evening.“The price is higher compared to other years. Another problem is that not many shopkeepers have been able to stock the fruits as the supply is less,” said Arindam Sen, who went to Maniktala market on Tuesday evening to buy fruits for Jamai Shasthi.Apples have completely disappeared from the market. Even the imported variety is hardly available.“Only imported variety of apples are available during this time of the year which are mainly from China. The Indian government has banned the import of apples from China making other countries raise the price of their produce,” said an importer of apples in New Market.

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