Green grocers see red

Chairing the meeting, Unjha Market Yard Committee vice-president Kantibhai Ambalal Patel, in his fiery speech, blamed the vote bank politics for the plight of traders and agents. He advised the agents not to trust politicians who 8220;are good for nothing except taking rest in their airconditioned offices8221;. Patel alleged that politicians had infiltrated market committees all over the state and divided the members for petty political gains.

Patel also criticised the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry for sending a representative to the meeting. 8220;I have been on the Chamber panel for several years, but there is a hell of a difference between the combination of office-bearers then and now8221;, he said, offering full support from the Unjha yard to the agitation. He felt that it was GCCI8217;s responsibility to protect the interests of vegetable and fruit merchants and commission agents.

Laxmandas Rohra, president of the Ahmedabad Vegetables and Fruit Merchants Association, Naroda, said it was unfair on the part of the government to thrust rules on the traders without consulting them. He said the beginning should have been made from Delhi which alone controlled 25 per cent of the trade, while wondering why Gujarat alone was made the target for implementation of this 8220;unfair rule8221;.

Jaswantbhai Ramaji, a representative of APMC traders, threatened that if the traders and agents were forced to charge commission, weightage and labour charges from consumers, then they would not provide the facilities so far given to farmers. 8220;We lend money to farmers for their every requirement and farmers cannot survive without our support8221;, he said. According to him, the new diktat would lead to at least 20 per cent rise in the fruits and vegetable prices. He asked the traders not to buy from farmers and let the farmers sell their produce to government agencies.

Sukhdevebhai Kachhia-Patel, a delegate from Vadodara, said a case must be filed in the court challenging the rule within four days because the APMC Act is not applicable to commission agents and traders.8217; He said Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Rajkot markets, which had received the notice, had already decided on an indefinite strike from August 1.

Ashok Shah, president of Ahmedabad Vegetable Growers and Commission Agents Association, Jamalpur, said there was no dispute between farmers and agents and it was the politicians who were trying to create a wedge between the two.

However, farmers are complaining that traders and commission agents have turned the vegetable markets into share markets agog with speculative trading.