From Freebie to Premium Purchase
In many parts of India, fresh coriander has transformed from a routine garnish into an expensive ingredient. Retail prices have shot up to between ₹220 and ₹230 per kilogram in cities like Delhi, a massive jump from the normal rate. At the Azadpur mandi,
one of the capital's largest wholesale markets, prices recently hit ₹175 per kg. Traders note that this is a significant deviation from the usual wholesale price of around ₹25 per kg for this time of year, highlighting just how severe the current spike is. For many households and restaurants, this means a herb once treated as a free add-on is now being priced like a premium item, forcing a change in daily cooking and budgeting.
The Culprit: Monsoon Mayhem
The primary driver behind this price surge is the erratic monsoon. Heavy and excessive rainfall in key growing regions, particularly in and around Nashik in Maharashtra, has wreaked havoc on coriander crops. Flooding in late July damaged standing crops, making them unsuitable for harvesting. Coriander is a delicate, perishable crop, and excess moisture not only damages the plant but also significantly reduces its shelf life, making it difficult to transport over long distances. Farmers often suspend harvesting during intense rain to avoid selling produce that is wet and partially damaged, which creates an immediate bottleneck in supply.
A Squeezed Supply Chain
The damage at the farm level has created a ripple effect across the entire supply chain. Nashik is a major supplier of green coriander to cities across northern India. With local crops damaged, the volume of high-quality produce that can withstand the long journey to markets in Delhi has plummeted. The situation was made worse by delayed rainfall in other producing centers like Bengaluru and Latur, which might have otherwise provided a buffer. Although some limited supply has come from Karnataka, it hasn't been enough to fill the gap, and the quality is often lower. These combined factors—crop damage, reduced arrivals, and transport disruptions—have left wholesale markets with a severe shortage, directly translating to the steep prices consumers are now facing.
A Wider Pattern of Price Volatility
While the coriander shock is sharp, it fits into a broader trend of food price volatility driven by unpredictable weather. Ingredients like ginger and garlic have also seen significant price increases over the past year. These seasonal shocks tend to hit perishable, high-value crops the hardest. The Reserve Bank of India has flagged an uneven monsoon as a key risk to food inflation, noting that food accounts for nearly half of the consumer price index basket. With about half of India's farmland still dependent on rainfall, swings between intense downpours and dry spells disrupt sowing, damage standing crops, and create uncertainty for farmers and consumers alike.
