Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when the prices of garlic are going through the roof, truckloads of garlic have arrived in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam. Because a huge quantity of garlic arrived at Sailana Bus Stand in Ratlam, the auction slowed down.
Farmers bringing their harvest are encountering difficulties, with some forced to wait for hours by parking their vehicles on the roadside due to the lack of space in the market. Despite the continuous arrival of garlic, there is no provision for food or drinking water for those waiting to participate in the auction.
Farmers are arriving at the market a day in advance with their garlic, but the slow auction process and the need to vacate the premises are causing delays. Consequently, farmers are standing for hours with tractor trolleys and loading vehicles filled with garlic, stretching from Mandi Gate to Do Batti.
Dilip, a farmer from Unhel in Ujjain district, expressed frustration at the lack of space inside the market and the need to wait until nightfall to enter. He called on the market committee to provide facilities for food and drinking water. Lakhan Chaudhary, another farmer from Madavada in Khachraud, arrived in the early hours of the morning but was only allowed to enter in the evening, highlighting the scarcity of provisions inside the market.
Arrival of 9065 bags
On Tuesday, about 9065 bags of garlic arrived in the market, fetching prices ranging from Rs 1900 to Rs 13900 per quintal, with an average price of Rs 9400 per quintal. This marked a significant increase from the 6,500 bags that arrived on Monday.
Evening traffic jams
Private companies have deployed security guards in the market, preventing farmers with minimal quantities of garlic from entering. This, combined with the slow auction process, has led to long queues of vehicles stretching from Mandi Gate to Powerhouse Road and Do Batti, causing frequent traffic jams. Despite requests from the traffic police to improve arrangements inside the market, no action has been taken.
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