Vegetable prices soar due to mandi strike

Vegetables and fruits prices skyrocketed in Mumbai and associated suburbs due to the strike of daily wage workers in Vashi Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), the lone supplier of commodities to nearly 15 million residents of the financial capital of India.

Prices of green vegetables rose sharply by 40-50 per cent on Monday due to high festival demand and no supply from the mandi. For example, prices of limited supply of tomato rose to Rs 16-20 a kg on Monday from Rs 10-12 a kg on Saturday. The price of cauliflower increased to Rs 30-35 a kg on Monday from Rs 20-25 a kg on Saturday.

“Daily wage workers of all five segments of mandis including grain, vegetables, fruits etc. have gone on an indefinite strike beginning Monday. They wanted the state government to fulfill their 8-year old demand and over 4-year old commitment to provide shelter for 5,000 workers,” said Ashok Valunj, director of APMC, Vashi.

Over 20,000 daily wage workers had earlier threatened the state government to meet its commitment fulfilling their demand for poor workers. But, government gave them only assurances. Therefore, they did not have an option but to go on a strike, a participant said.

Meanwhile, representatives of all markets are meeting with the Maharasthra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Tuesday to discuss the issues. “A final decision on the duration of the strike will be taken after meeting the chief minister,” Valunj said. As a consequence to the strike, prices of fruits have risen sharply between 15 and 20 per cent with good quality apple quoted at Rs 50-55 a kg from Rs 40-45 a kg last week.

A grain merchant in Vashi said transaction worth crores of rupees take place everyday which would be at stake if strike was not called off immediately. This would also result into unnecessary price hike for consumers who are already reeling under exorbitant inflationary pressure, he added.

Longer the strike, higher will be the revenue loss for the state government also in the form of mandi, sales tax and octroi. Perishable commodity prices have also increased. Grain prices are currently on hold. But, if the strike continues for a couple of days more, then grain prices will also surge proportionately, the merchant said.