Mumbaikars are not going to get respite from high vegetable prices as the supply dipped due to continuous rainfall for the past three days. The trader at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) said that there is around a 30 to 40 percent drop in the overall supply of vegetables in the wholesale market.
Mumbai receives most of the vegetables from Nasik, Pune, Kolhapur, Sangli and other places in western Maharashtra and Karnataka. While most parts of Maharashtra are witnessing heavy rainfall, there is a dip in supply. According to traders, since there is a forecast of heavy rainfall for four days, the supply will be normal only by next week.
On July 6, the APMC received a total of 435 vehicles laden with vegetables. However, the majority of them were small pickup vans that carry a lesser quantity of produce. “The overall supply has dipped by around 30 to 40 percent,” said an administrative official at APMC. He added that the price of some vegetables has seen around a 20 percent rise due to lower supply.
Normally, the Mumbai APMC in Vashi receives around 450 trucks and 100 small vehicles laden with vegetables on a daily basis. However, for the last one or three days, the supply has come down to 435 vehicles of which over 300 vehicles are small pickup vans. “During rainfall, trucks could not arrive in the city as roads get damaged,” said Hruydnath Patil, a trader at APMC.
However, at the same time, the APMC market saw a lesser number of retailers due to continuous rainfall. While there is no major price change in the wholesale market, retail will rise. Now, the traders are also apprehensive that crops may get damaged at vegetable-growing places because of excessive rainfall.
