The total daily stock of fruits and vegetables at the Azadpur Mandi has dipped by 2,000 tonnes due to the closure of the Haryana-Delhi border, said authorities.
Adil Khan, chairman of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (Azadpur), said the daily procurement of fruits and vegetables at the market after the national lockdown stood usually at 7,000-8,000 tonnes.
It was 5,000 tonnes on Wednesday.
Border closure
“Though the procurement has reduced, the stock of both fruits and vegetables currently available is adequate. The prices too are stable and no fluctuation in the prices of either has been noticed,” he added.
According to Mr. Khan, green vegetables such as lady fingers, bitter gourd, ridged gourd, bottle gourd, and cucumbers among others, which are usually supplied from Sonipat in Haryana did not arrive due to the border closure which has been in effect since earlier this week.
As many as 11 confirmed cases, one of which has resulted in a death, have surfaced from the mandi — the largest wholesale fruits and vegetables market in Asia — between April 20-26.
Though a senior government official put the number of COVID-19 cases connected to it the market at “around a dozen”, Anil Malhotra, member of the marketing panel has alleged there were “at least 20” such cases which need to be probed. According to Mr. Malhotra, a majority of the over 1,400 shops in the market are shut.
