Pune: As Navratri approaches, the Pune market is seeing a steady supply of sweet potatoes, an essential item during the fasting season. With supplies coming in from both Maharashtra and Karnataka, the availability is consistent compared to last year, though prices have seen a modest rise.

For the past 15 days, in preparation for the Navratri festival’s fasting period, sweet potatoes have been arriving from local regions like Karad and Malkapur in Satara district, along with Karnataka's Belgaum.

The Pune wholesale market is currently receiving about 25 to 30 pickup trucks daily, each truck carrying approximately 60 sacks, with each sack holding 40 kilograms of sweet potatoes.

Despite the stable supply, wholesale prices have risen compared to last year. While sweet potatoes sold for ₹20 to ₹30 per kilogram in 2022, this year they are fetching ₹30 to ₹35 per kilogram.

Trader Amol Ghule, who has been tracking the market closely, shared that this year’s supply from Belgaum is noticeable, with two pickup trucks arriving and selling at a slightly lower price of ₹20 to ₹22 per kilogram.

The local varieties of sweet potatoes from Karad and Malkapur are smaller in size but sweeter in taste, which makes them more popular among consumers.

On the other hand, the Belgaum variety is larger but has a slightly bitter taste. As a result, there is a higher demand for the Maharashtrian sweet potatoes in the market, while the Karnataka varieties are not as preferred.

Navratri, which starts on Thursday (Oct 3), traditionally drives higher demand for fasting-related foods like sweet potatoes, and traders are expecting this trend to continue throughout the festive period.