Markets limp back on track

Visakhapatnam: Markets in the rural belt are getting back on track with traders ensuring free-flow of agriculture produce in mandis.
A senior market official in Visakhapatnam town who did not wish to be named said the traders had temporarily resorted to taking credit and managing goods under the barter system. “We are expecting at least 10 lakh sacks of harvested paddy to be pumped into the market in the next one month.However, this can happen only if the labourers are paid on time and the transporters are provided the adequate support required from traders,” he said.
Local market traders in Anandapuram reiterated the same concern of getting farm labourers immediately to ensure that the produce reaches the mandis on time. P Satyanarayana Sai Murthy, who is a wholesaler and commission agent in the flower and the vegetable market, said, “I have taken to the barter system. I provide them enough food through local joints and some cash as incentive to work.”
Murthy further said, “If we do not take such measures the entire kharif crop will be lost and this will result in a surge of food prices. This may lead to hoarding in the coming days.”
Though the traders have come up with new and some old fashioned methods of keeping the trade going, they themselves are finding it difficult to deal with the lack of credit in the market. Ch Ganesh Rao, a trader from Achuthapuram, said, “I have two wholesale shops in Vizag and one massive shop of my own in Achuthapuram. I need cash to keep the trade going and also provide for the labour and retail pushcart wallahs. I need a daily cash input of Rs 3 lakhs just to keep my business going. This is apart from the money that I pay to the farmers for their produce. Where is the money going to come from?”