Veggie growers stage protest at APMC

Raising objection for purchasing vegetables on lot basis through auction instead of buying them on weight basis, farmers staged a protest and raised slogans against merchants at the APMC yard here on Thursday morning.

"As per the APMC rules, vegetables have to be purchased after weighing them. Auctioning them on lot basis would cause loss to farmers. Merchants purchase vegetables from farmers on lot basis, but sell them to customers on weight basis. This is not correct," farmers said.

Merchants are suddenly refusing to purchase vegetables on weight basis, and they closed the gates also, lamented farmers Shivappa Banappanavar, Manjunath Belavadi and others.

Meanwhile, merchants noted that auctioning vegetables would be helpful for both vendors and farmers. This system was in practice since several years, and weighing was introduced just two months back. This causes loss, as substandard and pest-affected vegetables have also to be purchased, they said.

Later, APMC President Eshwar Kittur held talks, and protest was withdrawn, as purchasing on weight basis began.