Drumstick prices cross ₹600/kg as supply to Bengaluru crashes

Sharp fall in arrivals pushes drumstick rates to record highs; Tamil Nadu supply expected to ease prices by early 2026.

Bengaluru’s vegetable markets are seeing an extraordinary surge in drumstick prices, with rates crossing ₹500 per kg in wholesale and touching ₹600 in retail outlets. The sudden spike comes as the city faces one of its steepest supply shortages in recent years.

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According to market records, Bengaluru earlier received close to 100 tonnes of drumsticks every day. However, unsteady weather conditions over the past few months have drastically affected crop output, bringing daily arrivals down to just 30-40 tonnes. This nearly 60% fall in supply has pushed prices far beyond what regular consumers are willing to pay.

The high rates have led to a noticeable decline in customer demand, with many households choosing to skip drumstick altogether. In several markets, a pair of drumsticks is now sold at around ₹100, highlighting the severity of the price rise.

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Traders indicate that the situation may stabilise only when produce from Tamil Nadu, where farmers have increased cultivation, reaches Karnataka’s markets. These fresh arrivals are expected around January and February, which could ease prices from their current record levels.

Until then, Bengaluru is likely to continue experiencing unusually high drumstick rates, driven by limited supply and heavy dependence on external arrivals.

Bengaluru’s ongoing drumstick crisis has intensified, with KR Market, one of the region’s largest wholesale hubs, seeing almost no stocks on Tuesday. The steep price rise has pushed most traders to stop purchasing drumstick altogether, fearing heavy financial losses.

Only one or two outlets in the entire market were seen selling drumstick, and even they reported extremely low customer turnout due to the record-high prices. A 40-kg sack of drumstick is now costing traders around ₹18,000, taking wholesale rates to ₹450–₹500 per kg. Retailers are forced to sell at ₹550–₹600 per kg just to break even, but customers are unwilling to spend that much.

Traders say they are unable to make sales despite taking loans to invest in the limited stock available. One seller shared that he earned around ₹3,000 yesterday from drumstick sales, but today, not a single buyer has turned up after hearing the prices. Many vendors said they simply cannot risk putting such huge capital into a single vegetable.