Cheap veggies scheme ends on high note

MUMBAI, DEC 29: On the last day of 1998, one of the most successful schemes of the state government comes to an end -- that of selling ve...

MUMBAI, DEC 29: On the last day of 1998, one of the most successful schemes of the state government comes to an end 8212; that of selling vegetables at low rates through cooperative stores and the public distribution system.

Touted as the brainchild of Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, the scheme was kicked off on December 7 to make vegetables available at reasonable rates and to try to bring down prices in the open market. Comparative figures in the retail market of both periods seem to bear out the government8217;s claim that the scheme was a success.

Vegetables which cost more than Rs 30 have come down to less than Rs 20, while prices of non-perishables like potato have fallen from Rs 15 to Rs 12. Meanwhile, costs of vegetables sold through the scheme have constantly maintained a difference of a rupee from those in the retail market.

quot;The scheme has been a great success, we have achieved all our objectives,quot; says V T Badhan, joint secretary of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee APMC. Over 500 tonnes ofvegetables were sold by APMC to the government in 22 days, and most of the vegetables supplied were sold out in a few days.

quot;We had queues formed at our stores before we opened shop, a clear indication that people wanted to buy these vegetables,quot; says G L Rane, manager of Sahakari Bhandar at Matunga. But irregular supply of vegetables by APMC cost other cooperative stores quite a few customers. The Mafco stall at Nariman Point gave up its efforts to sell vegetables through the scheme after the first few days due to this reason.

The quality of vegetables was the scheme8217;s major selling point. Most of the vegetables, initially packed in plastic covers, were farm fresh. Those like cabbage and cauliflower were only offered whole, which also increased customer satisfaction. quot;It8217;s only due to our combined efforts that prices have come down in the retail market,quot; says J M Phatak, secretary, Food and Civil Supplies department, which distributed the vegetables.

However, the claim that the scheme was solelyresponsible for the lowering of rates in the market is hotly contested by vegetable vendors. They claim that with the vegetable season due in the last week of December, prices were bound to come down.

Story continues below this ad

quot;The government knew about this beforehand, which is why they timed it thus,quot; says Vijaykumar Dalvi, who heads the Wholesale Flower and Vegetable Vendors Association. Moreover, with daily consumption of vegetables in the city being close to 400 tonnes a day, the scheme8217;s effect on the retailers8217; trade was not substantial. The general feeling was that the scheme only cut into profits of retailers.

So what happens to the scheme after December 31? Though the CM will make public his decision on continuance of the scheme two days from now, the APMC is looking out for private parties to fulfil the role it played during the scheme. quot;We are having talks with various organisations who want to start off on their own. They8217;ll do the same thing on a smaller scale,quot; says Badhan. These organisations will buy vegetablesfrom APMC and sell them through outlets in their area. That would be good news for those weary of haggling with vendors in the market.