Increase in fresh produce, prices recede

Mumbai: According to the APMC officials, the vegetable markets have stabilised and everything is back to normal as the number of trucks arriving and departing with supplies is almost equal. Vendors too said that they are getting fresher produce and prices are under control.

Following the farmers’ strike, the trucks arriving to the APMC with fresh produce had seen a dip. The numbers had gone down to 700 trucks since the strike had been called.

However, with the strike losing its steam and farmers being eager to cut down on the losses they are incurring due to being unable to harvest vegetables on time, the market has seen an increase in the number of trucks bringing in the produce to almost double.

According to Shivaji Pahilkar, the secretary of APMC, Navi Mumbai, 1,612 trucks carrying fruits, vegetables, masala, onion, potatoes arrived at the APMC between 10pm on Wednesday and 2 pm on Thursday. "When we look at the arrival and departure of the trucks, it can be ascertained that the supply is healthy and things are back to
normal," said Pahilkar while speaking to The Asian Age.

While there has been an increase in the number of the trucks, the number of outgoing trucks has also increased with the numbers standing at 635 for vegetables and 430 for fruits. In all, 1,220 trucks have gone out, Pahilkar's office informed The Asian Age.

Meanwhile, the vegetable vendors also confirmed that the vegetables that were coming to the market were fresher as compared to the produce they were getting since the strike started. “We had been getting vegetables that looked stale, but today the vegetables were fresh,” said Dharmendra Gupta, a vendor from Wadala.

Amit Vais, a wholesaler from Meena Market in Dadar said, “The produce we were getting was probably two-three days old. That, coupled with the intense heat made the vegetables look pale but today, we received fresher looking vegetables, which means that the farmers are sending freshly cut produce to the market. It is a good sign and an indicator that the strike is almost over.”