In Pune, Nagpur oranges are set to be more expensive this year due to
a dip in production of the fruit. Oranges have started arriving in Pune market for the last week or so. Prices, traders say, are be 10-15 per cent higher than last year’s.
Rohan Ursal, a trader operating out of the Pune marketyard, said the dip in production is natural after a year of bumper crops, as seen last year.
While prices in wholesale markets would vary between Rs 25-30 per kg, retail prices would be Rs 40-50 per kg. Ursal said quality of the produce was good. Meanwhile, Apulkee — the social initiative working for the cause of farmers in Vidharbha — will be operating their online ordering platform for the second year. Abhijeet Falke of Apulkee said, last year around 1 tonne of the fruit had been ordered using this platform.
Along with various government departments, the platform linked farmers directly with potential buyers in Pune and other cities. “Once orders were placed, farmers called up buyers and fixed delivery details,” he said.
This year, around 8-10 farmers have already contacted Apulkee to use the online services. Falke said transportation would be taken care by the farmers themselves. In order to make the orders feasible, the minimum order accepted online is 10 kgs. “We had inquiries from Chandigarh, Bengaluru and other areas also,” he said. Falke said nothing extra is being charged for usage of the platform.
(1 Indian Rupee=0.015USD)
Source: indianexpress.com
