APMC says it can give out agri goods on credit only for one more day, but it would not be possible to replenish the stock if the shortage of liquid cash was not sorted out soon
The APMC markets sold perishable goods yesterday with the old currency. File pic
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To avoid fruits and vegetables wastage by spoilage, markets across the city on Wednesday accepted the now-abolished Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes and sold the agri products to consumers. But vendors at the Navi Mumbai Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) said they can’t do the same on Thursday and the currency situation would have to be sorted out soon if fresh stock was to reach the market.
Vendors worried
VS Rathod, deputy secretary, vegetable market, APMC, Navi Mumbai, said, “The sale and purchase of the various perishable vegetable in wholesale market in the early hours of Wednesday was permitted since they can’t last over a day.”
Kailash Tajne, a wholesale vegetable vendor, said, “Wednesday, most customers came with the currency, and we had to sell our vegetables because we had no option. We will accept one more day or rather give it on credit for a day.”
Currency crisis
“But what about the farmer from whom we purchase the product as they have stopped accepting the currency? If this remains the situation, the stock will come down and prices will automatically shoot up,” added Tajne.
A senior officer from the vegetable market concurred that that chances of price rise are high, as after the news spread, the Nashik and Ahmednagar market closed down for two days and that will lead to a shortage of product in the market soon.