Farmer protests at three major entry points in the capital of New Delhi have affected the supply of essential items like vegetables, fruits and other articles to the city from neighboring States. Vendors in other parts of Delhi said due to curtailed supply, wholesale rates of seasonal vegetables have gone up by ₹50- ₹100. They said the roadblock at Singhu and Tikri entry points has impacted supply of vegetables and fruits from other states.
Delhi receives many consumable items from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir majorly through the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri borders — all three blocked due to the ongoing farmers’ protest.
Adil Khan, chairman of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) at the Azadpur Mandi, said the arrival of both vegetables and fruits has reduced by half due to the closed borders. The trucks have been reduced from 2,500 to 1,000 per day. He, however, said the rates have not registered any significant rise so far because local produce and stocks are being sold.
APMC member Anil Malhotra said the supply of apples from Kashmir had been most impacted since the fruits need to be transported in relatively larger carriers, which were too big to use the alternative routes that are being taken by trucks now.
Gopal, a wholesale commission agent of green pea at Azadpur market, said supplies have dropped drastically. Normally 40-45 trucks of peas from Punjab’s Amritsar-Hosiarpur belt would arrive on a given winter day, it this number has dropped to 15-20 trucks now, he said. “The rates have gone up due to reduced supply and hike in transport charges that have increased by around ₹10,000 per truck,” he told www.thehindu.com.
[ ₹100 = €1.10 ]