Hyderabad: Fruits like apple and orange will be costlier as agents from the biggest fruit market Gaddiannaram are not lifting stock.
Agents are opposing the marketing department’s notices on the cancellation of shops for arrears towards the rents of shops and not ordering stocks from Himachal Pradesh and Nagpur. They have also moved the High Court on the matter of arrears.
The market used to get nearly 50 lorryloads, each carrying about 15 tonnes of apples, and another 40 carrying oranges per day. After the marketing department issued notices cancelling shops to 97 commission agents two months back, they began cancelling orders.
Besides, the marketing department has stopped issuing out passes to lorries from these shops and is instead allowing other 120 agents. The arrivals have fallen to five to eight loads per day and has led to a rise in prices. A carton of 100 to 150 applies that was sold at Rs 2,000 now costs between Rs 2,400 and Rs 2,800. Oranges which were sold at Rs 200 per carton of 100 now cost Rs 500 to Rs 700.
Mr Arif-ur-Rehman, a fruit vendor from Malakpet said that the stock was poor in quality. “Earlier about 5 per cent of fruits used to be damaged, which can be covered during sales. Now we are getting about 15 per cent of damages which are more visible and cannot be covered,” he said.
Another vendor, Mr M.K.Shafi from LB Nagar, said that commission agents at shops in the Gaddi-annaram market had storage facilities. “We are lifting stock from the commission agents at platforms. These agents do not have storage facility and we are losing money with more damaged fruit,” he said.
Marketing department additional director G. Lakshmi Bai said that there was no impact on the arrivals due to the cancellation of the shops. “Other commission agents are lifting the stock. We’ll verify the matter and will set right things in cases of lesser arrivals,” she said.
