Hamstrung by short sales window, Bengaluru's vegetable, flower traders brace for big losses

Forced to sell their perishable produce in a four-hour window, wholesale dealers of vegetables and flowers are staring at a huge loss two days into the lockdown.

Extreme summer is only adding to their woes since storing the vegetables and flowers has become difficult. As a result, many are letting them rot in the hot sun or dump them in the garbage.

Displeased traders said the system is not helping them nor the farmers. “Due to stringent restrictions, we have been forced to sell a day-old stock. Also, given the weather conditions and open market setting, most vegetables and flowers lose their freshness or rot by the next day. We have no choice but to dump them into the bins,” rued a wholesale trader from KR Market.

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Sridhar, a member of the Kalasipalyam (KR Market) Wholesale Vegetable Traders Association said: “Farmers have to harvest the crop only after 6 am due to the curfew restrictions across the state. By the time they get the produce to the market, it is afternoon. Due to curfew hours, we cannot immediately sell the produce. By the next day, it will lose its freshness and attract hardly any buyers.”

Anand Giri, another trader, said: “Why only farmers, even the retail traders are unable to reach the market within four hours as they have to come all the way to Singena Agrahara, which is far from the city centre. Even with the lowest prices, veggies are ending up in bins since there are barely any takers.”

The trader’s association has also complained about the lack of facilities at Singena Agrahara.

“Despite the tough time, we are still turning up every day to ensure that people get veggies. If this has to go on, the government must let us run the market from 12 to 6 pm. Otherwise, let the government take up the distribution task and we will extend support,” an association office-bearer said.

Similar is the situation at the APMC market in Yeshwantpur, which is shifted to Dasanapura. Onion and potato trader’s association secretary Uday Shankar admitted they cannot travel 20 to 25 km every day and trade just for four hours.

Retailers have also cut down their purchases by 50% due to limited purchase time. In less than a day, the cost of several veggies tumbled to half of their original cost, traders said.