Almost a week since the Vashi Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) near Mumbai re-started operations, vegetable arrivals have increased steadily. Buyers, however, aren't purchasing as much as they used to prior to the maintenance shutdown of the mandi.
Consequently, farmers are being forced to sell their produce below the cost of cultivation or with a marginal profit either through middlemen (arhatiyas) or by selling directly to bulk and retail purchasers. After a week of maintenance shutdown, the vegetable section of APMC Mumbai started on Monday with the arrival of 93 vehicles as against permission to 150 vehicles. The total number of