Bengaluru is facing a minor shortage of the supply of fresh vegetables owing to the stringent lockdown in Karnataka since Monday, as a measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, many officials and stakeholders TNM spoke to said that the shortage will not turn into a crisis and there won’t be any major shift in market prices either.
GR Sreenivasan, Chairman of Horticultural Producers' Co-operative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS), said that there might be a 10% rise in prices on average but the supply will not be affected.
HOPCOMS, a quasi-government body of farmers and the state Horticulture Department, has 220 stores across Bengaluru.
“All the stores are open from 8 am to 9 pm. All fruits and vegetables will be available, there is no such shortage. The prices are fixed daily (check price here) and as usual, we are procuring our supplies from farmers. Since Monday, we have seen an increase of an average 10% rise in prices,” he told TNM.
Incidentally, many in Karnataka will be celebrating Ugadi, a New Year festival observed in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and several parts of Karnataka, on Wednesday. Despite the rush, Uday Shankar, a member of the Bengaluru Onion and Potato Merchant Association, said there will not be any shortage of supplies.
“Due to the Ugadi rush, there was extra produce. Since all trading activities in all Bengaluru Agricultural Produce Market Committee yards (where farmers sell their produce) will be closed from Wednesday till March 31, the surplus was pushed to the retail market. Markets will be opened again on April 1,” he said.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department, too, said that they are ensuring the regular movement of essential supplies from godowns to retailers.
Bengaluru South Deputy Director HR Vijay Kumar said, “The government is ensuring that the beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS) get their ration in advance for the next two months as announced by the Chief Minister. The department is also working towards ensuring that there is no disruption in the supply chain.”
While some supermarkets opened for business they had to shut due to dearth of supply, some remained open without any problems.
Online grocery stores like Bigbasket and Grofers said that there is an unusually high number of orders that are causing delays in delivery but there is no shortage in their warehouse.
Smaller private retail traders, on the other hand, are at risk as the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and train services are shut and small farmers, who sell their own produce from nearby towns and villages, can’t make their way into Bengaluru.
Srinivas, a member of Anekal Taluk Farming Association in Bengaluru Urban district, said, “There is an issue in transporting the goods from farms to markets as many drivers said they were stopped by the police.”
M Munna, a wholesale dealer of vegetables at Krishna Raja (KR) Market, was faced with another challenge. "I have one and a half tonnes of vegetables. But there is hardly anyone here to buy, and for the next week, the market is closed. What will we do with all these vegetables?" he said.
Even within the city, initial curbs in the movement of goods vehicles led to a drop in supply issue.
As a result, individual small retailers, especially those who run carts, may be out of business till March 31 (the last day of the lockdown as announced).
TNM has already reported how police in many neighbourhoods of Bengaluru had forced stores selling essentials like grocery and drinking water to close, although they are exempt from the lockdown order.
However, later the stores were allowed to open after multiple follow-ups with senior police officials including City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao.
In a tweet, Rao said those who work in the essential supplies sector have to be on a company vehicle and have to wear uniforms along with identity cards.