Wholesale veggie, fruit agents demand hike in commission

Commission agents dealing in wholesale fruit and vegetables at Vallah Sabji Mandi have demanded that the AAP government should double their commission from present five per cent to 10 percent. They crib that the same rate for the past 27 years has been taking a toll on their trade.

Om Prakash Arora, chief patron, Vegetable and Fruit Commission Agents Association, Sabji Mandi Vallah, said risks of commission agents had increased manifold during the past three decades. During this period their employees, who used to draw a salary of Rs 5,000 were now getting more than Rs 20,000, he said. The interest rates of banks, fuel prices, prices and rents of shops, vehicle maintenance expenses, electricity and water bills and mobile phone expenses had increased accordingly, he said.

Association president Gursevak Singh appealed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to increase their commission to 10 per cent. Citing rates of commission in other states, he said their counterparts in Nashik were getting six per cent to eight per cent, Delhi six per cent, Himachal between six to seven per cent, and Ahmedabad seven per cent commission.

Association general secretary Surinder Bindra said seeking they had written to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudia, and Punjab Mandi Board and Market Committee for increasing their commission.

“Over 500 commission agents deal in 600 tonnes of vegetables and fruit received from all over India daily,” said Bindra. The data includes the share of fruit imported from overseas countries, including the USA, China, Indonesia and others, he said.

He said the government never bothered to fulfil its commitments like providing a cold storage, shelters for farmers, toilets and a dispensary at the Vallah market, while it was charging two per cent of the market fee and the rural development fund from commission agents.