Kolkata: Monsoon's delayed onset in Bengal, followed by heavy rainfall, led to the flooding of fields, which in turn, affected the production as well as quality of key vegetables, pushing up prices at wholesale as well as retail markets in the city.

Moreover, labourer shortage faced by farmers during the rainy season has added to the supply disruption. The rise in prices prompted members of the state task force to inspect major vegetable markets in the city, including Entally and New Market, on Monday. The team reported a significant price difference between the fares at these two locations, with the Entally market's vegetables selling for considerably higher rates than that at New Market.

"In Entally, prices are consistently higher than that at New Market retail stalls," said Kamal De, task force member and president of West Bengal Vendors' Association.

"We've asked the local police station to keep a watch on pricing practices there."De acknowledged multiple factors contributed to the price rise. "Farmers were not receiving fair prices for raw vegetables in the markets for several weeks. Also, during the rainy season, they faced severe labourer shortage," he said.

"Also, the delayed onset of monsoon, followed by heavy rain, affected the quality." Farmers in areas like Bhangar, who primarily cultivate their produces in low-lying fields, were hit the hardest.

Latif Gazi, a farmer there, blamed three days of continuous rain for the poor quality. "Ridge gourd, bitter gourd and cucumber lost their natural colour. Many okra plants have wilted and their flowers dropped off," he said.

Task force members, however, pointed out that the situation seemed temporary. "We expect prices to stabilise within a week as the monsoon sets in more evenly and supply chain is restored," said De.But for consumers, like Garia's Sudarshan Ghosh, a govt college librarian, the price shock is real. "It's unthinkable that humble okra, ridge gourd and brinjal are selling for Rs 80-100 per kg. These are not exotic items," he said.As the administration intensifies check and interventions, consumers hope for swift relief. "If the rain is equitably distributed across the region, there won't be any problem. But that is not happening. After a long dry spell, there is a sudden deluge, causing rotting of roots," said Biswanath Das, an agriculture expert.