Street vendors battling rising costs

 

 

 

In the streets of Sitabuldi or the crowded corners of Itwari, the crispy samosas and the spicy kick of tarri-poha remain unchanged. However, behind the steaming kadhais and the inviting displays of the city’s favorite street foods, an economic crisis is brewing. A pronounced escalation in the prices of coriander, potatoes, green peas, green chillies, and other ingredients used by these roadside eataries, has placed an acute financial strain on them, many of which already function on precariously thin margins. Today, they say the surge has reached a point where the costs can no longer be absorbed without jeopardising their daily earnings.

 

Suresh Selokar, who operates the stall Ganesh Fried Snacks in Sitabuldi, says the relentless rise in vegetable prices has pushed small vendors into an untenable position. He continues to sell his samosa at thirty rupees and fears that any upward revision, even if justified by market realities, will drive customers away. He explains that, while the cost of the filling continues to climb, the selling price must remain unchanged to maintain regular footfall. Many vendors describe this month as the most challenging month of the year, as prices of all key vegetables used in snack fillings have risen simultaneously, leaving no room for internal adjustments. Unlike larger restaurants that work with broader margins and flexible pricing, roadside eateries depend on loyal, price-sensitive customers who resist even minimal increases. Selokar says their primary buyers are students and workers who expect consistent affordability, leaving little room to revise rates. With vegetable prices showing no inclination to stabilise and winter demand for fried snacks intensifying, small vendors say they foresee difficult weeks ahead.

 

They express hope that mandi arrivals will improve and rates will retreat to manageable levels, allowing their daily income to recover and their operations to regain stability. Rajkumar Sahu, a vegetable vendor from Khamla, observes that the turbulence across Nagpur mandis in recent weeks has been unlike anything he has seen all year. Green peas reflect the sharpest volatility, rising from roughly Rs 40 per kg in 2023 to nearly Rs 76 per kg in November, before moderating slightly to around Rs 63 this month. Potatoes, a staple ingredient for snack sellers, have climbed from around Rs 13 per kg in 2023 to almost Rs 20 this month, which comes to a rise of about 60 per cent.

 

Vendors note that although the increase may appear modest across the larger time frame, even minor shifts become deeply disruptive for eateries that depend on extremely narrow margins and fixed, low selling rates. Green chillies, which were close to Rs 20 per kg in 2023, fell to Rs 13 in November, but have now surged dramatically to more than Rs 42 per kg in December. Cauliflower has followed a steady upward trajectory as well, rising from Rs 13 per kg in 2023 to nearly Rs 19 in November and touching Rs 25 per kg this month. Sahu says these unpredictable fluctuations have made day-to-day operations increasingly difficult, and also mentions that the past few weeks have been the most unstable period of the year. For roadside eateries, the situation has become even more severe, as they cannot alter their selling prices in tandem with the rapid shifts of the wholesale market.