The Tiruchi All Perishables Commission Mandis Commercial Complex at Ariyamangalam will be closed from May 25-31 after at least eight workers tested positive for COVID-19.
Onions and shallots procured from traders and farmers will be sold in the market till Saturday after which it will shut down for a week.
The announcement was made a few days in advance as the traders cannot cancel the procurement orders. “Onions are procured from parts of Tamil Nadu as also rest of India including Nashik, Pune and various other parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. It will take two to three days for the consignments to reach us. We cannot cancel it halfway. We will be processing the consignments and plan to sell the stock by Saturday,” A. Thangaraj, general secretary, Tiruchi Onion Commission Mandi Traders’ Association, told The Hindu .
Meanwhile, local vendors and even retailers will be allowed to store the onions and shallots at the mandis till Wednesday next week. “This is because the vendors, even those attached to Gandhi Market now, do not have any storage facility. They can use our space after showing the bill provided to them by us. However, we will not allow any sales,” he said.
At the 75 shops in the mandi, only one or two persons will be allowed from Monday to Wednesday. From Thursday to Saturday next week, the entire complex will be close down and disinfected.
"We have told the farmers and the traders in advance so both parties don't suffer any losses,” Mr. Thangaraj added.
