Third day lorry strike: Vegetables prices go up

Stressing various demands such as abolishing toll plazas and one-time collection of money from the lorries, reduction in fuel prices and so on, the lorry owners association, across the country, announced indefinite strike from Friday.

At Koyambedu market, the prices of the vegetables did not increase much, on the first two days, due to the presence of stock that was delivered before the commencement of strike but, on the third day due to the depletion of the stock the prices of essential vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and potatoes increased drastically from the levels of the previous days.

Tomato which was sold at Rs 12 was sold at Rs 30, onions were sold at Rs 10 was sold at Rs 25 and the shallots which were Rs 40 now sold at Rs 65.

Also, the vegetables that had to come from other states such as cabbage, capsicum and potatoes did not reach Koyambedu market, on Sunday, as they got stagnated in Bengaluru market. Kumaran, a trader in Koyambedu market, told DT Next, that Tamil Nadu gets it’s major share of onion from Maharashtra and because of the lorry strike the onions did not reach the market, on Sunday. Same is the condition with potatoes which have not reached the market and because of the stagnation in respective markets the prices had increased drastically, said Kumaran.

In Tamil Nadu, Oddanchatram, in Dindigul district and Thalaivasal, in Salem district, are two large markets for vegetables and from these two markets the vegetables would be sent to other parts of the state.

In Thalaivasal market, vegetables weighing 10 lakh kilos had stagnated because of the strike and the total worth of the vegetables stagnated is Rs 1 crore.

Similarly, in Oddanchatram market vegetables worth Rs 4 crore had stagnated and though all the 200 shops in the market had vegetables procured from local farmers, after paying a higher price for transportation, as vegetables are being sent in mini vans from the villages

.

Similarly, in Tirunelveli market the vegetables did not reach from Kovilpatti and its surrounding areas and so the price had increased tremendously.

Tomato       30

Onion         25

Shallots      65

Potato        35

Beans        60

Carrot         40