New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Fruit and vegetable sellers in the Azadpur agriculture produce market – the largest in Asia – went on strike Thursday to protest a recent Delhi High Court judgment which will raise the price of their service and make the goods costlier for the public.
The court ruling induces the sellers to charge six percent commission from purchasers – the retailers and general buyers. Till now, this cost was being borne by the farmers who came to sell their stock.
‘We will wait for three or four days and if our demands are not met, we will go on an indefinite strike. Moreover, in 22 other states also, it is the farmer who is paying this charge,’ said Metharam Kriplani, president, Chamber of Azadpur Fruits and Vegetables Traders.
‘This regulation will increase the prices of commodities by 6 percent in Azadpur mandi and the end consumer will have to pay around 15 to 20 percent more,’ he added.
The ruling came after the Delhi High Court agreed June 2 to Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Marketing Board’s plea of terming the charge as illegal.
The market in north Delhi, spread over nearly 44 acres, has over 3,600 commission agents and wholesalers and has become a natural distribution centre for fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, mangoes and vegetables like potato, onion, garlic and ginger.
