The heat-humidity combo and transportation woes have destroyed many vegetables and pushed up their prices.

The prices of several vegetables have crossed the Rs 100-mark because of supply shortage across markets in Calcutta, Salt Lake and adjoining areas.

The prices of tomatoes, bitter gourds and brinjals have soared significantly.

Retailers, wholesalers and a member of a task force that monitors vegetable prices said a long, dry spell of high temperature has destroyed crops in the field, as a result of which the supply has dried up.

No one could say when the supply would become normal again.

Tomatoes and brinjals sold for Rs 100 a kilo in many markets in the city on Sunday. About a fortnight ago, tomatoes were selling for Rs 50 a kilo or even less, while brinjals cost Rs 60 a kilo.

Traders cited transportation woes, too, for the price hike of tomatoes.

“The bulk of the tomatoes available in the Calcutta markets comes from Bangalore. There are some transportation issues because of which the supply has fallen. Along with weather, this has contributed to the soaring of tomato prices,” said a retailer in Salt Lake.

A south Calcutta resident said the counter for tomatoes in a department store at South City was almost empty on Sunday. A few tomatoes lying there had nearly rotten and become soft, she said.

A retailer in a market in Kasba said tomatoes sold for Rs 90 a kilo in the wholesale market in Ballygunge on Sunday morning. “So, we had to sell for Rs 100 a kilo,” he said.

Bitter gourds were priced Rs 80 a kilo in some markets on Sunday. The price was around Rs 50 a kilo a fortnight back.

“The long spell of heat and high temperature has destroyed a lot of vegetables. Many plants have dried up and harvested vegetables have rotted. I suspect the prices of many items will remain high for a few more weeks,” said Rabindranath Koley, a member of the task force set up by the state government to monitor the prices of essential commodities.

The maximum temperature recorded on Saturday was 36.6 degrees Celsius, which was 2.8 degrees above normal. The minimum was 30.2 degrees, which was 3.2 above normal.

The maximum humidity was 85 per cent and the minimum was 66 per cent.

Bitter gourds, tomatoes and brinjals are some of the common vegetables that most households consume. A jump in their prices has left a hole in their pockets.

To make matters worse, the prices of potatoes have remained on the higher side for quite a few weeks now.

The Chandramukhi variety has been selling for around Rs 35 a kilo in most markets for the past month. “The price was Rs 28 a kilo before the jump. Potatoes are needed in almost all food items,” said a north Calcutta resident.

A professor at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya said the soaring prices could be blamed on the combination of heat and humidity.

“The scorching sun has parched the fields. Many plants have dried up in the absence of rain. This is affecting crops such as brinjal and bitter gourd, which are yet to be harvested,” he said.

The humidity is creating suitable conditions for pathogens to breed. “Because of the high humidity, the activity of the pathogens has increased. The pathogens are destroying the vegetables,” he said.