Mathadi workers’ 50-kg cap disrupts onion-potato trade at Vashi APMC, arrivals drop and prices rise

Navi Mumbai's onion-potato market faces disruption as Mathadi workers enforce a 50-kg limit on sacks, causing price hikes and delayed truck unloading.

NAVI MUMBAI: Trade at the onion-potato wholesale market of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee in Navi Mumbai has been disrupted after Mathadi workers (head-loaders) began enforcing a 50-kg limit on sacks being unloaded at the market yard from March 1, forcing traders to halt fresh consignments and pushing up wholesale prices.

Mathadi workers’ 50-kg cap disrupts onion-potato trade at Vashi APMC, arrivals drop and prices rise

Traders said unloading activities have slowed significantly after workers refused to handle sacks weighing more than the prescribed limit. As trucks carrying produce piled up inside the market yard, traders advised farmers and transporters not to dispatch new consignments until the issue is resolved.

The onion-potato market at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee in Vashi typically receives between 1,000 and 2,000 trucks of produce daily from across Maharashtra and other states. However, arrivals have dropped sharply over the past few days due to delays in unloading consignments.

“Our demand is that sacks should be limited to 50 kg. We will unload consignments within that limit, but we will not handle sacks weighing 55, 60 or 65 kg,” said Shivram Sakpal, a Mathadi worker at the market yard. He added that the demand has been raised repeatedly over the years, citing safety concerns associated with handling heavier loads.

The disruption has already begun affecting prices in the wholesale market. Traders said potato prices at the Vashi APMC, which were earlier around ₹8–10 per kg, have risen to about ₹15 per kg, while onion prices have increased from roughly ₹10–12 per kg to around ₹15–16 per kg in the past several days amid tighter arrivals and unloading delays.

“Potato arrivals have dropped sharply and several trucks remained parked for nearly three days because unloading could not take place,” said trader Manohar Totlani. “Potatoes that remained in trucks for three days started deteriorating and traders had to clear the stock at lower prices to avoid losses. At the same time, fresh arrivals have reduced, which is pushing prices up.”

The impact is beginning to be felt in retail markets as well. Potatoes in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, which were selling at around ₹20–26 per kg about 10 days ago, are now retailing at roughly ₹22–30 per kg, traders said. Onion prices have also risen to about ₹25–35 per kg from ₹20–28 per kg earlier.

According to traders, potato consignments typically arrive from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, though most supplies are currently coming from Gujarat. Sacks arriving from several source markets often weigh more than 50 kg because packing is done at the point of origin, leaving traders at the destination market with little control over the weight.

Totlani said the issue intensified after consignments from Indore began arriving in sacks weighing up to 70 kg.

He added that consignments from Gujarat are generally packed within the 50-kg limit, but the variety of potatoes grown there is relatively sweeter and therefore sees lower demand. “Traders usually source potatoes from Gujarat only when supplies from other states tighten,” he said.

Onion supplies largely arrive from markets in Maharashtra such as Nashik and Lasalgaon, where Mathadi unions are also present. Traders said workers in those markets could ensure that sacks are packed within the 50-kg limit before being dispatched.

While the APMC administration had earlier issued advisories asking traders not to send sacks exceeding 50 kg, commission agents said traders were being unfairly blamed for the issue as packing is done at source markets.

Mathadi workers said discussions with labour leaders and market authorities are ongoing but they remain firm on enforcing the 50-kg limit. Market observers warned that if the disruption continues, reduced inflow of onions and potatoes could tighten supplies and push up retail prices across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.