Delhi APMC’s Azadpur Mandi (wholesale market) is the largest fruit and vegetable market in Asia. Farmers and traders from across the country bring their produce to this market for selling. This Mandi is also one of the largest import and export hub for fruits and vegetables in India. A visit to this Mandi is always fascinating. From the lorry drivers travelling from all corners of India one can gather first-hand account of the socio-economic state of affairs in the country.
Azadpur Mandi is an ideal reflection of socialist and secular
society. One finds very rich traders & commission agents and very poor
laborers together struggling to pass through filthy and narrow by-lanes of the
Mandi. Hindu, Muslims and Sikhs work, eat and live together here most amicably.
The social and legal issues like child labor, drugs, labor exploitation, human
rights violation, labor’s dignity etc. are mostly meaningless here; and no one
seems to be bothered about these “mundane” issues here. Here one can get
cheapest and tastiest street food in the city, which is enjoyed by the rich
traders and poor workers equally.
Over last weekend, I met some large fruit and vegetable
commission agents in the Mandi to assess the current business conditions and
their assessment of the demand in next few months. The following is the summary
of discussion.
·
For many of them, business is down 25-50% as
compared to pre-Covid average. Moreover, full recovery is not expected even in
next 3yrs.
·
The demand for fruits and vegetable from hotel
industry is down significantly. Curbs on travel and gatherings have impacted
the demand. Their feedback from hotel industry indicates that growth in
corporate travel and attendance at social functions may not return in next
couple of years at least.
It is pertinent to note that the ratio of per person fruits and
vegetables used in food preparation in hotels is usually 2x of the quantity
used at home.
·
Marriage attendance that used to be in excess of
1000 is structurally down to 200-300. In the view of most traders, the fat big
Indian weddings may not return for few more years, if at all. People are now
becoming very comfortable with small gatherings. Virtual participation of
outstation guests through live telecast is becoming more of a norm.
·
As per few estimates, in pre Covid period over
2lac outstation students were living in Delhi to take coaching for various
examinations. These students were mostly living in paying guest accommodations
and guest houses. The number is now estimated to be down to less than 25000, as
online coaching has become popular. The demand for fruits and vegetables for
catering to these students (canteens and dhabas) may be structurally down.
·
Many corporate and other institutional canteens are
still closed or working at lower capacity, as workers and students are
preferring to carry home cooked food due to hygiene reasons.
·
A huge part of the credit extended by Mandi
traders to the retail merchants and street hawkers in pre Covid period has turned
bad with no hope of recovery.
·
Many traders expect the low attendance in
wedding, work from home (WFH) and Learn from home (LFH) etc to reflect on
demand for textile, footwear, food, jewelry, cosmetic, travel, and fuel demand
etc.
Overall, the current mood is despondent and the future outlook
is not so optimistic either.
By the way, if you are overwhelmed by the “Aarthiyas are crooks
and main force behind the latest farmers’ agitation” narrative, it would be
worthwhile to visit Mandi for couple of hours to balance your views.
