Wholesale grocery, vegetable sub-markets to resume operations from April 15 in Pune

Pune APMC said that as the grocery wholesale market will start operations, supply of essential commodities in the city would be regular.

After assurance from the police and divisional commissioner of allowing smooth flow of agricultural trade, the Poona Merchant Chamber and representatives of traders and potters, on Monday, decided to open the grocery wholesale and vegetable sub-markets at Moshi, Manjri, Khadki and Uttamnnagar from April 15.

People taking home Fruits and Vegetables from Chhatrapati Shivaji Market Yard in Pune, India, on Thursday, April 9, 2020. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Traders of wholesale grocery markets had decided to close the market located at Gultekadi, Market Yard, from April 13, as police had not been allowing entry of personnel with identity cards issued by Pune Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), which are authorised by the district collector.

Pune APMC administrator BJ Deshmukh, said, “Divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar and Pune police commissioner held a joint meeting with representatives of traders and potters and said that there will not be any obstruction to their trade if they present identity cards provided by Pune APMC. After the assurance, traders decided to start business from April 15. The wholesale market would be open on April 14 only for unloading of outstation vehicles.”

Deshmukh said that the Poona Merchant Chambers president Popat Oswal and Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board’s managing director Sunil Pawar were also present for the meeting.

Pune APMC said that as the grocery wholesale market will start operations, supply of essential commodities in the city would be regular.

Vegetable sub-markets open

APMC administrator BJ Deshmukh said that with many Covid-19 positive cases around the Market Yard areas, the wholesale vegetable market there will be closed for the next few days. However, sub-markets at Moshi, Manjri, Khadki and Uttamnagar will start operations in the next two days. Deshmukh said, “There is a traders meeting scheduled for Tuesday. We plan to open the sub-markets by April 15, but the main market will be closed.”