The Koyambedu wholesale market complex will not function on Sundays from November 22.
With nearly 800 semi-wholesale shops reopened this Monday, traders expect more visitors on weekends. In a bid to avoid crowds in the market, the Federation of All Traders Associations of Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex decided to shift the market’s weekly holiday from Friday to Sunday.
The State government had allowed various sections of the market complex to be reopened in a phased manner since September.
Federation president D. Rajasekaran said the fruits semi-wholesalers would be allowed to reopen shops on November 23. Of the 1,600 vegetable wholesalers, about 800 shops located in A to G blocks were permitted to reopen and the remaining would begin operating from November 30.
“While wholesalers function between 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., semi-wholesalers operate after 2 a.m. Semi-wholesalers who sell produce even less than 20 kg are an important link between wholesalers and retail vendors,” he said.
Merchants said the prices of vegetables had started to stabilise over the past few days. Some vegetables such as beans and okra sold for ₹10-₹20 a kg in the wholesale market. The price of tomatoes too dropped and available for ₹15-₹25 a kg. Onions and potatoes are sold for up to ₹55 a kg and ₹50 a kg respectively due to fewer arrivals.
‘Sales picking up’
S. Chandran, president, Koyambedu Periyar Wholesale Market Licensed Merchants Association, said: “Sales is picking up in the market and we made 70-80% business on Wednesday. We are still getting only half of the 60 loads of onions and the price continues to be high. We expect the prices of costly vegetables like carrot to drop by December.”
On an average, the market receives 50,000 visitors daily now. Wholesale merchants pointed out that encroachments were removed through periodical checks by Koyambedu Market Management Committee. Such initiatives, including monitoring through surveillance cameras, must continue for better maintenance of the market, they said.
