Title - Wholesalers rankled by steps to limit monopoly

MUMBAI: Milk adulterated with detergent and urea, vegetables whose cost increases four or five times during the journey from farm to dinner table, and foodgrains that in a year of record harvest remain a matter of concern for middle class Mumbaikars. The common thread that runs through such unfair practices, many say, is the monopoly of the middleman.Since food inflation assumed sky-high proportions in 2008, a simmering anger has become manifest against wholesalers who reportedly hog the lion's share of profit to the detriment of growers and end consumers. Over the past few days, some official measures have emerged to tackle this menace.On May 1, the Maharashtra government loosened the vice-like grip of Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) that is accused of exploiting both the farmer and the consumer by buying cheap and selling at inflated rates. Farmers can directly sell 30 types of fruits and vegetables to consumers.The move has caused alarm within the ranks of middlemen. APMC director Ashok Walunj said, "Do farmers have the wherewithal to hire trucks, park them in crowded places and unload them? Who will fix the price of the produce? We wholesalers have a system in place to manage the logistics."Walunj claimed that the APMC charges a commission of 80 paise on 100 kg of produce so eliminating this small sum from the transaction will not contain inflation. He said, "In any case, look at how affluence levels have risen. Would the previous generation have dreamt of salaries to the tune of Rs 50,000? Traders charge a premium only in posh, high-class areas. Dharavi still gets things cheap."The Central Railway already transports onions, oranges, raw plantain and grapes in significant quantities. "Now the idea of running special trains carrying vegetables from Nashik to Mumbai is on the drawing board," said chief PRO V A Malegaonkar. "It could be a while before it is implemented, though."On Sunday, dairy farmers launched a nationwide agitation to protest against "unfair trade practices" by branded dairies. "Popular brands source milk from cattleshed owners at Rs 18 per litre and sell it for Rs 30-32 although the additional cost of packaging and transportation comes to not more than Rs 3-4 per litre," said Mohan Singh Ahluwalia of the Gwala Gaddi Samiti spearheading the campaign.