Vegetable supply to Coimbatore from other States may be affected as State Governments step up precautionary measures against COVID-19. However, as of now there is no shortage in availability, according to sources.
The sources said that Coimbatore gets nearly 1,000 tonnes of vegetables from other States every day. It includes 400 tonnes of onions from Maharashtra and more than 500 tonnes of vegetables from Karnataka. Almost 75 % of these go to Kerala and the rest are sold in the city.
Maharashtra and Karnataka have announced extended shutdowns. Hence, there is no clarity on loading and transport of vegetables from these States for the next few days.
Meanwhile, the wholesale markets in the city will be closed on Sunday. “It takes about two days for the vegetables to reach Coimbatore from other States. We have decided to unload the vegetables on Monday,” he said. Hotels are seeing a drop in people walking in and hostels are closed. Hence, there is a sharp drop in demand from the bulk buyers. Prices of vegetables are low in the city because of drop in demand, he said.
