Halfway through the 10-day farmers’ protest organised by the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh across north India, the impact could be seen in Delhi on Tuesday, with wholesale vendors reporting an increase in vegetable prices.
Farmers, since June 1, have been protesting by not taking their produce to cities, to push for their demands of loan waivers and increased prices for their crops.
On Tuesday, various vendors at Ch. Hira Singh Vegetable Wholesale Market, locally known as Azadpur mandi, said prices of tomatoes, onions, and potatoes had increased.
Disruption in supply
The vendors said potato stock was influenced the least and the price of onions rose only slightly. However, tomato sellers complained of disruption in supply.
Subhas Seti, a tomato vendor for the past 47 years, said while 70 vehicles is the norm, only 12 made deliveries on June 2, the second day of the protest. Other wholesalers had similar experiences.
Dashrat Kumar, a vendor at Azadpur mandi for the past 12 years, said the supply of tomatoes was considerably low on June 2. He said the price of tomatoes almost doubled when only five of the usual 50 trucks of produce arrived.
Anil Kumar, a tomato seller since 1990, sold his stock for ₹15 per kg, ₹5 higher than last week, because only four of a total of 40 supply trucks were on duty. When asked about the reason for such few trucks, he said the drivers were worried about local agitation and damage to their vehicles in transit.
Vendors sympathise
Despite the disruption in vegetable supplies, many vendors at Azadpur mandi sympathised with the farmers.
Although Mohammed Javed, a potato vendor, reported an approximate 10% reduction in stock, he said, “The farmers are not getting enough money so it is natural that they will be upset and want to strike.”
While potato prices have not fluctuated significantly, those working with commission agents, like Javed, have suffered losses. The commission agents responded to the strike by increasing their rate of commission by about ₹4 per kg, added Javed and other potato sellers at Azadpur mandi. However, many vegetable retailers in the city did not report any significant price fluctuations. Dinesh Kumar, a retailer in Razapur, said, “As of now, there is no change in the rate of tomatoes and onions.”
Asked about what the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) in Delhi was doing to ameliorate the situation, APMC chairperson Adil Ahmad Khan said, “What will the APMC do? Our stock comes from outside, so the Modi government has to listen to the farmers’ demands.”
Khan confirmed the high prices of tomatoes and said that rates had almost doubled on June 2 due to the perishable nature of the produce.
(With inputs from
Urvashi Sharma)