Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in Maharashtra have reported drop in earnings of up to 20% with many market place committees remaining shut due to lockdown restrictions and weekly holidays, according to senior officials.
Around 108 of the 305 mandis in the state remained closed on Tuesday due to lockdown and their weekly holidays, as per information out there with the director, Marketing, Maharashtra. On Tuesday, 124 mandis remained shut in the state though 196 committees have been shut on Monday.
“On any given day at least 200-225 market committees are working. However, these are extraordinary times and given the current situation, the local authorities have the power to decide if daily operations can continue in these Mandis,” Satish Soni, director, Marketing, stated.
“All the 305 market committees and 585 sub-market yards are expected to function except for their weekly holidays. APMCs also cannot stop functioning beyond 3 days of continuous holidays,” he stated.
Soni stated that the closure of some of the mandis since of the lockdown has impacted market place arrivals resulting in a 20% drop in revenues.
“The markets are functioning with restricted timings, and therefore, the arrivals are lesser. No retail business is permitted and entries have been restricted only to wholesalers and relevant market committee officials,” he stated.
Maharashtra has 305 APMCs, 598 sub-market place yards, with a turnover of Rs 45,681 crore. It engages 7,000 staff. Reeling beneath an unprecedented Covid wave, the Maharashtra government has announced serious curfew like restrictions on public movement till May 15, which is most likely to be extended till the month finish.
All the 17 market place committees in Nashik will remained closed till May 23 following imposition of lockdown-like restrictions. Nashik is a big onion increasing belt in Maharashtra. Similar lockdowns have been announced in other districts as properly.
As per information with the state advertising directorate, the maximum quantity of mandis have been shut on Tuesday at Amravati and Nagpur divisions. Around 43 of the 50 market place committees in Nagpur division have been shut on Tuesday though 23 of the 55 market place committees in Amravati division remained closed the identical day.
APMCs have been directed to strictly adhere to Covid-19 proper behavior, Soni stated. The regional authorities are anticipated to hold a vigil more than the functioning of market place committees in each urban and rural locations and assure smooth functioning of these markets, he stated. The state government 1st imposed the lockdown on April 22, which was later extended till May 15 amid fears more than an additional wave of the pandemic.