Photos by: Elite Joshi

Vegetable dealers at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market on Tuesday did not buy any vegetables from farmers protesting the arrest of Bharat Prasad Khatiwada, general secretary of the Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Entrepreneurs, Nepal, and vegetable trader Bimal Dhungana.

According to monitoring officer at the Department of Supplies Management, Deepak Pokharel, who had reached the Kalimati-based market for inspection early Tuesday—only 100 tons of vegetables were brought today while on a normal day around 650 tons of vegetables are brought from various parts of the country.

Vegetable sellers on Monday had manhandled members of a government team that was on an inspection visit amid widespread concerns over a hefty rise in vegetable prices. The inspection team led by monitoring officer Pokharel had to call the police for help as it was encircled by angry traders after the inspection team seized two trucks loaded with vegetables on the charge of supplying farm products without any invoice.

The Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Entrepreneurs, in a press statement issued on Monday evening, has demanded the authorities release general secretary Khatiwada along with the two vegetable trucks and have appealed all traders across the country not to sell vegetables and fruits from Tuesday unless the demands are met.

Prices of seasonal vegetables have increased by up to 30 percent over the past one month, while that of off-seasonal vegetables have shot up by 40-50 percent due to the involvement of middlemen, the consumer rights activists said.

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