New Delhi, Mar 16 (IANS): With the onset of the summer season, prices of potatoes and other vegetables have started shooting up. Pointed gourd, cucumber, ridged gourd and lady's finger have gone out of the reach of the common man across the country.

Prices of cauliflower, radish, brinjal, spinach, peas and tomatoes have surged in March. Prices of potatoes, which was expected to have a bumper yield this year, have also started increasing.

Noida vegetable seller Pappu Kumar said that now the potatoes entering the market have little moisture. As a result the traders have started storing the vegetable which has led to the increase in prices.

At the same time, new vegetables like lady's finger, cucumber and pointed gourd are yet to find a profitable market. The retail prices of these veggies have increased to Rs 20 from Rs 10 per kg this month.

Retail inflation rose to 5.03 per cent in February mainly on account of higher food prices, government data showed on Friday.

The consumer price index (CPI)-based retail inflation was at 4.06 per cent in January.

The rate of price rise in the food basket accelerated to 3.87 per cent in February, as against 1.89 per cent in the preceding month, according to the National Statistical Office (NSO).

A major reason for the rise in retail and wholesale inflation rates has been the rise in the prices of food and beverages. The prices of pulses and edible oil was already on the rise and now the prices of vegetables have also started rising this month.

Vegetable wholesale traders say that the consumption of vegetables has increased due to the fact that lentils are expensive, so prices of cabbage, tomato and other vegetables have started to rise, while the wholesale price of potatoes has increased marginally. However, onion prices have dropped.