BENGALURU: The surge in Covid-19 cases in Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, has resulted in much reluctance on the part of truckers from other States to despatch groceries to the APMC market in Yesvantpur, South India's biggest agricultural market. Meanwhile, following government orders to decongest the market, the onion, garlic, and potato traders have relocated to Dasanapura in Nelamangala this weekend.
A total of 1,980 wholesale shops employ nearly 2,000 workers at different wholesale shops here which deal with onion, garlic, potatoes, rice, atta, sugar, pulses, chillies, jaggery and coconuts among others.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, president of the Bangalore Wholesale Foodgrains said, "Out of every ten orders we place, only five trucks are willing to visit Bengaluru to deliver our stocks. There is much awareness of the COVID situation this time around and there is much fear about entering the City," he said.
Uday Shankar, Secretary of the Onion Potato Merchants Association said that over 300 shops dealing with potato, garlic, and onion have shifted base to Dasanapura on Tumakuru Road.
"This is a temporary arrangement suggested by the State in order to reduce crowding at the yard. Since our products are perishable goods, there is a regular daily sale. It was done last year also during the peak COVID crisis when we all operated out of Dasanapura," he said.
The business has slumped after the venue shift and it was not convenient in many aspects for the traders, he added stating they would impress on the government the need for them to get back to Yesvantpur.
Onions from Chitradurga and Chellakerre, garlic and potatoes from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are brought here in bags with each bag containing 50 kg of the item.
"A total of 55,185 bags of onion arrived today (Monday) to the Dasanapura sub-market. There is an over 50% reduced inflow of bags entering the City," he said.
Asked about the migrant workforce employed at the yard, Lahoti said that unlike last time there was no keenness to leave the place and go back to their hometowns. "Even here, the amount of work they get each day has reduced and they are aware that work would be difficult to get in their native place too. Hence, there is no major exodus from our market for now," he said.
CAption: Onion, garlic and Potato merchants who were earlier operating out of Yesvantpur market (in pic) have now temporarily relocated to Dasanapura in Nelamangala (archive pic)