Veggie, fruit prices start to climb but farmers’ stir may not be the cause

GURUGRAM: Preparing for the evening rush, vegetable sellers are setting up stalls in Gurugram’s anaj mandi, next to the busy Khandsa road on Sunday afternoon.
While summer months are particularly difficult, as few vegetables make it to the markets, since Friday, sellers said prices of vegetables have started going up.
But this may not be a result of the 10-day nationwide strike by over 100 farmer organisations in seven states, demanding complete loan waiver, higher prices for produce and implementation of the MS Swaminathan Committee recommendations.Into it’s third day on Sunday, ‘Kisan Avkash’ has already witnessed farmers dumping vegetables and milk on streets to hit supplies to urban centres and lead to a rise in prices.
“Right now, we are clearing the stock we had, but if trucks don’t arrive tomorrow as well, prices will definitely go up,” said a wholeseller of potatoes and onions. According to him, wholesale prices of both are currently Rs 600 per crate (50kg), making the retail price at around Rs 20 per kg. “This will get worse in the coming days. Already, there was no auction of potatoes held today,” he said.
So far, price of potatoes and onions have not risen, but the price for tomato is already hit. That too, for tomatoes that are mostly damaged, as a result of a poor crop. “Earlier, we used to buy a crate (25 kg) at Rs 30. Now, it has gone up to Rs 300,” said a wholeseller for tomatoes. As a result, price of tomato has gone up as almost 100%.
Vegetable associations said the price hike is not necessarily because of the strike. “Most of the produce at Gurugram mandi doesn’t come from parts where farmers are on strike. Potato prices could have increased because cold storages have started stocking up in anticipation.
Till recently, vegetables were arriving in excess from areas around Gurugram.
That has now fallen, with stock now coming from places further away, adding to transportation cost,” said Inder Thakran, president of Gurugram Sabzi Mandi Association.
At a retail store in Sikanderpur, retailers said the supply is still the same. “The strike has had no impact here, as most of our vegetables come from nearby areas such as Pataudi, Rajasthan, etc,” said the store manager at Haryana Kisan Mandi Zone Fresh near Bristol Chowk.
However, sellers at the mandi said prices of some vegetables, like French beans, bell peppers and even mangoes, could rise if the strike continues. They added that rising prices could be profitable for them. “We get less to sell, but can charge more in profits,” said a seller, not wishing to be named.
Mangoes have already seen a Rs 15-20 per kg rise, after the rate had dropped around two weeks ago.
Authorities at the mandi said not much will change unless strikers start obstructing transport that brings in the vegetables to the city, or if the strike spreads to nearby areas.
“The recent hike is not because of the strike. Some vegetables can’t be procured locally. Sellers here have to buy them from Azadpur mandi in Delhi,” said Thakran, referring to bell peppers and French beans.