Every day close to 600 truckloads of vegetables, foodgrains and fruits converge from Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan and various parts of Maharashtra to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) centre at Vashi in New Mumbai, to feed the public living in the country’s commercial capital.
It is among the largest wholesale markets in the country. Around 30,000 people at APMC have been managing the market's trades every day with Mumbai’s retailers for many years to ensure that food reaches every Mumbai household and commercial establishment at the right price and the right time.
But the covid-19 lockdown has upset that equilibrium. Only 50% of the APMC staff are now working while the rest have left for their villages.