With the farmers’ protest intensifying each passing day the vegetable markets across the region wore a deserted look leading to soaring prices of vegetables and fruits.

As the farmers’ protest entered the fourth day on Monday, the supply at vegetable markets hit up to 90 per cent in various areas of Punjab, Haryana including Chandigarh.

There were reports of spilling milk and heaving vegetables on roads by farmers in Bathinda, Ferozepur and Mansa as they blocked supply of vegetables and milk entering cities and towns.

Secretary of Market Committee in Jalandhar, Rupinder Minhas, told The Statesman over the phone that there was a drastic decline in supply of vegetables and fruits.

He said that they have got just 10 per cent stock on Monday against the total stock in normalcy. He said that farmers could have adopt another way to protest while talking to the administration or the government.

“It is the obvious fact that if supply hits, the demand increases. The retailers are selling the items on increased rates up to 50 per cent. The consumers are the worst affected as eatable items are being wasted,” said Minhas.

Minhas also said, the farmer unions have continued to block other farmers and traders from carrying vegetables, fruits and milk to urban areas further leading to a chaos among consumers.

Similarly, Secretary of Ferozepur Market Committee, Gurnam Singh said that not only the local but suppliers of fruits and vegetables from outside have also discontinued the business.

“It is unfortunate that despite the excess stock of fruits and vegetables, the consumers are forced to face the consequences. As Ferozepur is far from Chandigarh and other prominent markets, the stock is not arriving to us. The supply is dip by 85 per cent to 90 per cent here,” he said.

Similarly in Haryana, the protesting farmers restricted the vegetable sellers to reach the cities including Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa mainly.

However, in Chandigarh, the situation is not alarming as of now, but the traders at Sector 26 market committee admitted that there was a dip in the supply of fruit and vegetables due to the protest.

“As of now we have the adequate stock, but in a day or two we fear a paucity in stock. Seeing the higher demand we are selling the items at higher rates,” said a vegetable vendor in Chandigarh.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) president, Balbir Singh Rajewal said that the protest will pick up a pace in coming days.

“The idea was not to make trouble for consumers but to wake up the authorities. Since long we had warned the government but to no avail. It has become a movement now and farmers are aggressively participating to get their rights,” said Rajewal.

The farmers’ organisations are demanding remunerative prices for their produce, implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations and farm loan waiver. They have decided to continue the protest till 10 June.