Used as a garnish as well as the main ingredient in cooking, coriander is acting pricey this season. It has hit a century, in fact. A bunch of the herb, which usually contains 250 gram and used to go for as little as Rs 10-20, has now touched Rs 100. The tardy monsoon, which hasn't picked up yet, is mainly responsible for the price spurt. According to the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), the green leaf has consistently gotten costlier. "Coriander is one of the costliest items today. Some days back, it touched Rs 50. It is now Rs 100 and is only expected to grow costlier," said Devidas Pingale, trader and former director at APMC, Vashi. He said coriander supply has gone down drastically. "We are getting 40-45 truckloads against the 60 we used to get earlier. The drought and delay in monsoon has had a major impact on the supply chain," Pingale added. The herb is used as the main ingredient in local delicacy 'kothimbirwadi', a go-to monsoon dish for local residents, who are now paying through their noses. Restaurateurs aren't very happy either. "Our production cost has gone up, but we feel that this will be a temporary phenomenon. We hope that there will be good rainfall and the supply of vegetables will normalise. If coriander prices continue to be this high, then we will not have any option but to think about a price rise," said Suryakant Sarjoshi, owner of Aaswad restaurant at Dadar. Another trader at APMC attributes this to the reduced supply from Nashik and some parts of Pune. "The production is really hampered. It takes 40-45 days for green coriander to grow and be ready for use. In a few days, we will start getting supply from Gujarat and Karnataka, which will help to ease the prices," said Ashok Walunje, a trader at the Vashi market. "Moreover, local markets are also consuming a significant amount of coriander, which is impacting the supply to APMC. The demand is steady and this is impacting prices. Once the supply increases the veggie prices will come down." Other greens and vegetables have not been doing very well either. From an earlier 500-550 truckloads of green vegetables, the supply has gone down to 400-550 truckloads at APMC alone. Ladies' finger is Rs 40-60 per kg. Beans are being bought at Rs 40-60 per kg while drumsticks are going for Rs 30-50 per kg. Tomatoes are priced at Rs 50-80 per kg, while onions are being sold at Rs 30-40 per kg. Pointing Up

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