Gujarat farmers stop supplying vegetables to Pakistan
08 October, Ahmedabad
Traders from Gujarat have stopped supply of vegetables, especially tomato and chilli to Pakistan following escalation of tension between the two neighbouring countries.The decision is likely to result in losses amounting to Rs 3 crore every day to Gujarat farmers and vegetable traders.
Gujarat used to send 50 trucks having 10 tonnes of vegetables mainly tomatoes and chilli daily to Pakistan from Wagah border but stopped it for the past two days following tension between the two countries, according to Ahmedabad General Commission Agent Association general secretary Ahmed Patel.
“This is for the first time since 1997 that Gujarat traders have decided to stop supply of essential vegetables to Pakistan. We will not supply the vegetables to Pakistan until the relations between the two countries get normalized,” Patel said.
The association is the agent between farmers and dealers to fix the deal and to supply the vegetables to its destination point. Without the nod of the association, majority deals of sending vegetables like tomato, chilli, lemon and ivy gourd from North and Central Gujarat cannot be struck.
Patel added that the vegetable vendors have to bear a loss of Rs 3 crore every day, but the national interest is above personal interest. “However, we will continue to send the vegetables to Bangladesh, Gulf countries, Canada and South Africa,” he said.
Many farmers of Kadi taluka in Mehsana district, hub of tomato production in Gujarat, have also individually decided not to send the vegetable to Pakistan.Dashrath Patel, sarpanch of Yashvantpura village of Kadi taluka, said that many farmers of the village have opposed selling vegetables to traders exporting tomatoes to Pakistan in national interest.
“Though the supply is not much at that time but farmers from our village will not sell vegetables to traders coming from Delhi and Punjab who export to Pakistan directly from Gujarat during the peak season which sets in from November,” Patel said.
Vinod Patel, president of Kadi Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), said that farmers have decided not to send essential vegetables to Pakistan after the tension started escalating between India and the neighbouring country. The stoppage of exports to Pakistan is expected to result in a sharp fall in prices of chilli and tomato in the domestic market.