11 March,2010 10:15 AM IST | | Debarati Palit
APMC working on site that will update vegetable prices everyday
A Website that will daily update the prices of vegetables pouring into the city is in the works. An initiative of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), the site will arm you with first-hand information, vital in today's era of rising prices.
The under-construction site is expected to go online within a month. The updates everyday will be based on the prevailing prices as dictated by market forces.
V K Ghule, in-charge of the fruits and vegetables section of the APMC, said, "Life will become a little easy, since people will know the standard rate of vegetables and fruits daily. We have already had one meeting with the committee members and the work on the website has already begun."
Though the APMC would like the site to be up soon, there is an issue that still remains to be resolved.
Price variations
Officials are yet to decide on how to cope with the difference in prices in various parts of the city.
For instance, onions may cost from Rs 80 to Rs 110 per 10 kg at Shaniwar Peth because that is about as much as the middle-class market there can bear, but in the higher-income Deccan Gymkhana or Koregaon Park, the rate may be higher, as high quality and fresh items are sold in these areas.
But Ghule said soon something would be worked out, and a team of officials within the APMC will be entrusted the task of updating the website on a daily basis.
One guide for all
Ankush Mahadev Kunde, IP, AMPC said the website will not only provide information to customers but also prove useful to shopkeepers and retailers.
But women, who mostly make vegetable purchases in a family, felt the idea would hardly work for them.
Whether they were housewives or working women, most had this opinion on the usefulness of the proposed website, as they felt knowing the standard price would hardly matter since they almost always made their purchases around their residence.
Manjiri Phadnis (35), a working professional and resident of Kothrud, said, "Usually, I buy vegetables and fruits from the market near my apartment. But I guess it (APMC website) will at least keep us informed on the fluctuating prices."
