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Sangita Shah
July 26: The retail vendors of vegetables in Mumbai have been cashing in on the rise in wholesale prices unscrupulously by overcharging the consumers in the recent months. A meeting of wholesaler vegetable vendors was called last week at Mumbai Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) to clarify the position regarding the wholesale prices of various vegetables sold at Navi Mumbai, said BT Badhan, joint secretary of the committee. The meeting concluded that due to three reasons the vegetable supply had been curtailed in the past few months leading to a substantial rise in the prices. Heavy rains in December 1997 end throughout Maharashtra as well as rest of the country, frequent showers and snowfall in the end of March and and strong sunshine in late May and early June had damaged the standing crop of vegetables as well as the vegetables lying in the mandis.
The main supplying centres - Nashik, Pune, Sagli, Solapur and Konkan - faced a shortage in production which led to increased supply from other July 26: The retail vendors of vegetables in Mumbai have been cashing in on the rise in wholesale prices unscrupulously by overcharging the consumers in the recent months. A meeting of wholesaler vegetable vendors was called last week at Mumbai Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) to clarify the position regarding the wholesale prices of various vegetables sold at Navi Mumbai, said BT Badhan, joint secretary of the committee. The meeting concluded that due to three reasons the vegetable supply had been curtailed in the past few months leading to a substantial rise in the prices. Heavy rains in December 1997 end throughout Maharashtra as well as rest of the country, frequent showers and snowfall in the end of March and and strong sunshine in late May and early June had damaged the standing crop of vegetables as well as the vegetables lying in the mandis.
The main supplying centres - Nashik, Pune, Sagli, Solapur and Konkan - faced a shortage in production which led to increased supply from otherstates. This caused rise in the transportation and handling costs which were recovered at the wholesale market. According to APMC authorities, the rise per kilogram was 0.25 paise which included transportation, handling and fee of the market. In light of this rise the prices charged by the retailers has been exorbitant. He said they have no control over the retail prices of the vegetables which are sold at half the price in the wholesale market.
He said tomatoes were sold at Rs 18 per kilogram in the wholesale market while people have been complaining of paying Rs 32 for the same tomatoes in the retail market.
Residents of Mumbai have been paying high rates of vegetables recently. Some retailers have been attributing the severe price rise to failure of rabi crop. Unseasonal rains during the sowing season further ruined the chances of cheap vegetables reaching the kitchens.
Nasik district, a major supplier of onions, was hit by unseasonal rains causing severe damage to the crop. This affected the onionsupplies and its price. The same was the case with potatoes. Northern India, major potatoe supplier of the country had to suffer damage to the potatoes crop and stocks due to unseasonal rains. This led to spiralling of the common man's popular vegetable. Prices of potatoes has shot up to Rs 15 per kilogram against Rs 6 quoted in May end. Onion prices have also shot up to Rs 15-20 per kilogram against Rs 6. Other green vegetables like green peas, cauliflower, carrots, lady's finger, tomatoes have also witnessed a similar fate. Most of the vegetables range from Rs 24-40 per kilogram, more than treble the prices quoted in summer season which traditionally are highest during the year. Though the prices of vegetables differ in different suburbs of the city, the varying margin is narrow.
According to APMC officials, the retail prices are fixed by the vendors at their whims. Transportation and similar overhead costs do attribute to the higher retail prices, but they certainly do not warrant a difference of morethan three times , they added. The APMC has suggested measures to check such unwarranted prices by asking the consumer co-operatives to sell vegetables after purchasing directly from the wholesalers and setting up cold storages near the major retail markets to avoid rotting of vegetables, the officials informed.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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