Strict social distancing norms and limit on trucks lead to slowdown in veg supplies at Azadpur Mandi

NEW DELHI: In Delhi, traders said strict social distancing norms and limits on trucks have reduced supplies from Rajasthan, which provides 60% of the vegetables reaching the mandi. Supplies from other states continued, but traders want some relaxation to ensure steady supplies and stable prices.

Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are the other major supplies, said Anil Malhotra, committee member of Azadpur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee.

“On Saturday, no supply of vegetables came from Rajasthan, compared to 400-500 pick up vans of 1.5-4 tonnes each, which were coming till Friday. The farmers are concerned that their vegetables will rot as a trader is only allowed to get one truck a day and that too within a limited period,” he said.


We want the mandi authorities to cap the volume of fruits and vegetables per trader to minimum 10 tonnes with multiple vehicles, instead of allowing only one truck per trader, said Metharam Kriplani, president of Delhi’s Azadpur Chamber of Fruits and Vegetables Association.

Gurmeet Bhalla of Balbir Singh Bhalla Traders said more than 40 traders who were getting vegetables from Rajasthan have now stopped taking supplies as the government is asking them to get all supplies to Tikri Khanpur mandi on the Delhi border and load them into a single truck, which is not possible due to labour shortage.

“I was getting 16-20 tonnes of vegetables daily in 7-8 pick up vans from Rajasthan, which I have stopped. Prices will increase if supplies come down,” he said.