India, March 11 -- Prices of vegetables in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) have escalated sharply over the past two weeks due to the severe heatwave sweeping across parts of Maharashtra. At the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) wholesale market in Vashi, which serves as the primary distribution hub for vegetables, arrivals are down 20-30% even as prices of kitchen staples have jumped 40-50% and existing vegetable stock is getting spoiled quickly due to heat, traders said. Farmers also reported a drop in yields and crop growth, and warned of a prolonged crisis if the heatwave continues.

Bajirao Gagare, founder of the 'Hi Maitri Vicharachi' farmers' group in Sagamner, said that excessive heat during the bulb formation stage ...