Farm protest: Delhi’s mandi sales down 30% | Economic Times

New Delhi: Protest by farmers of Punjab and Haryana that has blocked arterial roads on the outskirts of the capital has seen sales of fruits and vegetable shrink 30% from a month ago at Delhi’s wholesale market bringing down prices, traders said.Buyers from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan were unable to visit the mandi, hurting trade. "Vegetable sales are 30% less than a month ago with buyers staying away from the mandi," Anil Malhotra, a member of the Azadpur mandi, said.Vegetable supplies from Delhi to northern and eastern states of India were now being routed via Rajasthan and Gujarat. Potato and onion supplies are directly going to Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh from Gujarat, said Ram Baran of Shri Ram Trading Company in Azadpur mandi.The detour increasing transport freight and shortage of trucks was also affecting business.Sale of onion, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, ginger, garlic to north Indian states has come down due to unavailability of trucks, said vegetable trader Bhajan Singh of Bhajan Singh and Company.“Oversupply in the market is only leading to drop in prices as buyers are less. Prices of tomatos and peas have seen a 30% drop in the last week to 20 a kg and 12 a kg, respectively. Carrot and cauliflower prices are down by over 50% to 4-5 a kg and 1.5-2 a kg,” Malhotra said. Snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh too has led to drop in demand said kinnow and orange trader Deepak Dhawan at the Azadpur mandi. Prices have reduced by 15% to 20-30 a kg in the past one week, he said.