India, May 21 -- LUCKNOW The common man's monthly kitchen budget has been dealt a severe blow this month, with the prices of daily vegetables and fruits skyrocketing across the city. Market experts attribute the severe inflation to a crippling combination of extreme heatwaves and a simultaneous spike in fuel prices triggered by geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

Data collected from Naveen Galla Mandi on Sitapur Road and various local vendors between May 1 and May 20 paints a grim picture for household finances. The primary drivers of this surge are high temperatures, localised transport bottlenecks and an increasing reliance on inter-state imports to meet the demand for daily staples.

Market authorities and local vendors report that a ...