The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Lorry charges for transport of vegetables set to go up

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Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Lorry charges for transport of vegetables set to go up

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Vegetable prices that are already ruling high owing to fewer arrivals, are expected to shoot up with the lorries transporting them set to charge more in view of the increase in diesel price.

Members of Koyambedu MMC Licence Holders Merchants Association said lorry owners have indicated that they would increase freight charges by 10 per cent.

As a result, the cost of vegetables may increase by Rs.2 or Rs.3 in the wholesale market and as a corollary influence the retail price, said V.R. Soundararajan, member of the Koyambedu Market Management Committee.

While owners of lorries operating from Bangalore to Chennai plan to hike trip charges from the existing Rs.7,000 to Rs.9,000 for a full load, vehicles from Pune would charge Rs.3,000 more, taking the transporting cost to Rs.19,000.

Vegetables such as potato (Rs.18 a kg), onion (Rs.12 a kg), green peas (Rs.90 a kg), beans (Rs.15 a kg) were already expensive owing to poor arrivals at the wholesale market.

Even vegetables such as cabbage (Rs.7 a kg) and yam (Rs.8 a kg), which are priced relatively less, would cost more, Mr. Soundararajan said.

Members of the lorry owners’ association said that the charges of tyre and spare parts would also go up in the backdrop of the fuel price hike.

R. Sugumar, spokesperson of All India Motor Transport Congress, said that many industries have not yet come forward to hike freight rates. “We want to increase the charges by 10-20 per cent to operate lorry service. Many lorry owners are already facing closure due to shortage of drivers and increasing labour charges,” he said.

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