Statistics reveals that the note ban has affected the food habit of the people with the volume of consumption of fruits, vegetables and pulses showing a downward curve. It is learnt that in sync with the dwindling demand, supply of such edibles is also plummeting at the major mandis of the city.
This despite the fact that the prices of the vegetables came crashing down in November as compared to October. However, things are a tad better in December.
Uttarakhand Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (UAPMC), Dehradun chapter secretary Digvijay Singh Dev said that 2.23 lakh quintals of vegetables, including potato, onion, tomato and others, had arrived at Niranjanpur Sabji Mandi in October while the figure slumped to 1.49 lakh quintals in November and 1.60 lakh quintals in December. “While 31, 071 quintals of fruits-apple, banana, pomegranate, guava and others- were received in October it came down to 26, 024 quintals in November and 25, 190 quintals in December. The same is the story of pulses. While 11, 640 quintals of pulses were received in October it dipped to 3, 908 quintals in November. The same trend applies to food grains. While around 68, 241 quintals of food grains, including rice and wheat, were received in October the figure was around 57, 756 quintals in December,” he said, adding that the markets are slowly absorbing the shock to get back to normalcy .
Another functionary of the association said that number of trucks loaded with food grains, vegetables and fruits had come down drastically at Niranjapur Mandi following demonetisation. “This followed the slump in demand. Inevitably, with few buyers around, the prices came down too,” he said.
Anuradha, a homemaker, found purchasing vegetables from a shop in Patelnagar, said that they were purchasing vegetables and fruits in limited quantity, thanks to demonetisation. “We are naturally hesitating to open up our purse strings too wide with the cash crisis dangling over our heads. We are rather going for the essential edibles,” she said.
A vegetable vendor Mohan Singh Bisht said that sale of vegetables and fruits had come down because of the acute shortage of small currency notes. “Most of the customers give me 2000 note after purchasing vegetables and fruits worth a hundred or two,” he said.