By Rajib Roy
SHILLONG: Pebble like potatoes are selling like hot cakes in Iewduh, the traditional market in the city, which continues to pull maximum customers, where they get a better deal of their hard earned money. This aside, the rates of other vegetables and commodities are far more reasonable than in other parts of the city.
In a survey carried out in three different markets (see table) in the city, Iewduh remains the best buy market and rightly so because the other markets in the city source their items from this traditional market.
The rates in these markets, sourced from vendors and customers alike, reveal that one gets more value for their money when they market in Iewduh in comparison with other two markets.
Laitumkhrah tops the chart with outrageous prices in terms of vegetables whereas Jail Road is moderately lower. A school teacher who was making bulk purchases for an upcoming religious festival said that he only relies on this traditional market because it caters to the need of both small and bulk purchases. The teacher further said that he bought chilly at Rs40/kg from Iewduh whereas the same is selling double, triple in the other markets of the city. According to the survey, chilly is selling at a whopping Rs100 in Jail Road whereas Rs80 in Laitumkhrah.
The small variant potatoes grown locally are selling at Rs10 in Iewduh although they are yet to be seen in the other two markets. A government employee who was purchasing these potatoes said that one cannot think beyond Iewduh when it comes to vegetables, fishes and even ration items. His counterpart from Laitumkhrah has stopped purchasing fish from the Laitumkhrah Municipal Market, which she terms as ‘burning’. Fish price in Iewduh is cheapest. Here Rou is selling at Rs120 to Rs140, the cheapest fish available among all. If someone is interested in tasting the seasonal Illish then it starts from Rs800 onwards, here. This fish is touching double the rate in the other markets of the city.