Efforts to keep vegetable prices low, say wholesale traders

Wholesale vegetable traders here reiterated that they were doing their best to make available vegetables at low prices to customers, said sources at the markets. They said that large quantities of veg

Wholesale vegetable traders here reiterated that they were doing their best to make available vegetables at low prices to customers, said sources at the markets. They said that large quantities of vegetables were going waste at the farms as they were unable to sell the entire harvest because of the spread of the pandemic and the lockdown. Vegetables arrived in different price ranges from the farms, depending on the quality. When a vendor bought smaller quantities, even 10 or 20 kg to sell in vehicles, the wastage was more. The wholesale traders were facing shortage of workers too. Yet, the prices remained at the normal level and officials were regularly monitoring it. When the monsoon set in and fresh arrivals started, the prices would drop further, they said. Meanwhile, the traders of Anna Market met the Corporation officials and sought permission to open the shops. “We were asked to wait for a few days. Only 150 of the 300 shops at the market were operational before the lockdown,” said S. Suresh, president of the market’s vegetable traders association.