Pune lemon prices have risen sharply during the monsoon, with a single lemon selling for ₹10 in retail markets as arrivals at the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Market Yard decline and wholesale shortages deepen.
Retail sellers are charging ₹40 to ₹50 for six lemons, according to a report from Loksatta – Pune. The increase comes at a time when lemon prices are usually lower because demand typically falls during the monsoon.
The immediate supply pressure has been linked to harvesting patterns earlier in the year. Farmers reportedly harvested large quantities of lemons before the summer ended and sent them to markets. With fewer lemons now reaching the wholesale market, traders say the reduced arrivals have pushed prices higher during the rainy season.
Rohan Jadhav, a lemon trader at the Pune Market Yard, said demand is generally strongest in summer, when households, sherbet sellers and juice-centre operators purchase larger quantities. The usual pattern is for demand and prices to ease during the monsoon. This year, however, the shortage has reversed that pattern.
The supply chain also connects Pune’s retail prices to growing regions outside the city. Lemon cultivation takes place in Barshi in Solapur district and in the Rashin area of Ahilyanagar district, according to Jadhav. The availability of water during summer affects cultivation in these regions, where water shortages can reduce the area or output under lemon cultivation.
That production risk can continue to affect urban consumers after the high-demand summer season has ended. When fewer lemons enter the wholesale market, retailers have less produce to sell and the price of each unit rises. For households, the increase is visible in the cost of a small everyday purchase; for juice and sherbet sellers, it adds to the cost of an ingredient used in regular commercial activity.
The current prices also show how conditions in agricultural growing areas are transmitted through Pune’s wholesale and retail markets. A change in harvest timing, followed by lower arrivals at the Market Yard, has affected availability even though monsoon demand is generally considered moderate.
The reported price movement will depend on the next improvement in lemon arrivals at the Pune Market Yard. Until supplies increase, retailers are expected to continue selling lemons at prices well above the levels normally associated with the monsoon season.
