BHUBANESWAR: The ongoing drivers’ agitation has got vegetable traders in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in a tangle. Anticipating a spike in prices due to the strike, the traders had stocked up on vegetables. However, they are now forced to sell at lower prices due to surplus stock.
While vegetable prices were high just two days ago owing to the monsoon, traders were forced to sell them at much cheaper prices on Friday as the strike has led to a halt in outflow to other districts. On average, Bhubaneswar receives 50 to 60 truckloads of vegetables and Cuttack 20 to 25 trucks daily, each carrying about 25 tonne. These not only cater to the Twin City but are also supplied to neighbouring districts like Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, and Ganjam, with some stock also going to Dhenkanal, Angul, and Bhadrak.
The traders said the strike has not impacted the inflow of vegetable trucks from states like Karnataka, West Bengal, and Maharashtra. The problem lies in the inability to transport the vegetables further to the dependent districts.
“The supply is now more than the demand. While incoming trucks face no issues entering Bhubaneswar, we’re unable to send the produce to other districts. The stock is piling up, and cutting down supply means a direct loss,” said Santosh Swain, a city wholesaler.
On Friday, pointed gourd procured from West Bengal at Rs 27 per kg was being sold at `20 per kg in the wholesale market. In contrast, onions and ginger were unavailable in Puri. Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, capsicum, cucumber, and beans, mostly imported from Karnataka, are arriving in excess but selling below profit margins. Most of these were priced at `30 or less per kg in wholesale markets.
However, prices of brinjal, okra, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, and snake gourd remain high due to monsoon-related crop damage. These locally grown vegetables are susceptible to rain, and the next harvest cycle takes around 80 days, keeping prices elevated through July and August.