Slump in sale of vegetables, fruits

Traders who spoke to Deccan Chronicle said there is a 35 to 40 per cent dip in the sale of most vegetables and fruits for the past two weeks as compared to December last year, a phenomenon that they have never incurred in the recent past.

One main reason cited for this slump is the financial loss incurred by the middle class. Nearly 80 per cent of the retailers were also severely affected due to the recent floods and water-logging.

“Many who used to arrive here daily for years are monthly employees and pensioners who are waiting for their salary and compensation due from the government. The current situation will take a month’s time to improve,” a market strategist based at Koyambedu told DC.

The Koyambedu market, Asia’s biggest wholesale market, witnesses arrival of at least 2,000 people daily. Now, less than 1000 people visit daily.

“After the recent floods which caused financial loss to the middle class, loads of vegetables, mostly cabbage, carrot and beans are being wasted as these are perishable items,” said V.R. Soundararajan, a potato trader and member of the Market Management Committee (MMC), Koyambedu.

A similar condition prevails at the Egmore, T.Nagar and Parrys markets where traders complain about considerable slowdown of arrival leading to sluggishness in vegetable, fruits and pulses business.

“Even after the arrival of pulses and vegetables to the market for the past few days and the rates normalising, arrival of public is very minimal. The worst affected is fruit business where we are forced to sell out oranges, bananas and pineapples and avoid maximum wastage,” said T.Kharimullah, a retailer on Usman Road, T. Nagar.

The recent floods have resulted in a total wastage of 60 tonnes of vegetables worth Rs 25 lakh at the Koyambedu market.

On Saturday, onion was sold at Rs 30 per kg, potato Rs 20 per kg, tomato Rs 30 and cabbage Rs 15, merchants said. Chennai can boast of nearly 55 vegetable, fruit and pulses market.