The defiant attitude of lorry owners in the city has impacted the sale of coconut and other agricultural produce in the district, the Malabar Produce Merchants’ Association has alleged.
“They [lorry owners] have introduced turn system, which denies any chance for us to bargain with them on transportation of agricultural produce to other parts of the State as well as other States,” said C.B.V. Abdul Jabbar, general secretary of the association.
According to him, lorry owners do not allow outstation lorries to accept loads from Kozhikode on their return trip. “This problem cannot be seen anywhere else in the State,” Mr. Jabbar said, adding that merchants were forced to do business in other parts of the State due to the “defiant attitude” of lorry owners.
He alleged that lorry owners were acting in contravention of a court ruling abolishing turn system and encouraging return load. “Besides, the government is turning a blind eye to the issue,” Mr. Jabbar said.
Describing non-availability of skilled labour as another major hurdle, he said: “We do not get people to dry coconut. Moreover, migrant labourers are not skilled enough for the job.” For now, merchants from Tamil Nadu are procuring coconut in bulk from Kozhikode, he added.
