Chennai, April 9(BPNS)

With around 2000 retail Vegetable and Fruit shops to be closed in the City’s largest vegetable market, following Covid restrictions, there is possibility of imminent price rise of vegetables and fruits.

Koyambedu Vegetable market association president, M Ramesh Kumar while speaking to BPNS said, “2000 Vegetable and fruit shops in Koyambedu markets will be closed following Covid restrictions and this will lead to imminent price hike of both vegetables and fruits.”

However wholesale vegetable and fruit shops will be functioning in Koyambedu market and this will lead to people flocking at these shops.

The semi –wholesale vegetable traders association said that this decision will lead to around 10,000 people becoming jobless.

S.S. Muthukumar, president of the Koyambedu Semi Wholesale Vegetable traders association while speaking to BPNS said, “There are 1960 vegetable shops in Koyambedu market and hardly 200 will function and this will lead to huge rush in the remaining shops. We were not consulted of any alternate place for conducting business.”

It is to be noted that the Koyambedu vegetable and fruit market receives 550 to 600 trucks per day and a meeting held with the officials of the housing and urban development department did not have any positive result.

M Rameshkumar said ,”There has not been any positive outcome following the meeting and we are holding an emergency meeting of all the concerned organisations and will announce our next course of action.”

It is to be noted that Chennai is recording low prices for Vegetables and the customers are worried that a shut down of the retail shops of Koyambedu market will definitely lead to a spiraling price rise in the coming days.