Agriculture Produce Market Committee: Mango traders go digital for transparent
Sweet something
PUNE: An increasing number of cheating cases related to mango sales, observed in the city and shared on social media platforms, has prompted Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Market Yard Adate Association to use Facebook in an effort to increase transparency in retail mango sales.
The association of commission agents is based at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). The page, created in February, is being used to answer people’s queries with regards to mango sales, varieties, daily rate of mangoes as well as tips on maintaining mangoes at home.
Speaking about the initiative, the association’s secretary Rohan Ursal said, “I am active on social media and came across several posts by Punekars about alleged cheating. We heard about Alphonso mangoes from other states being sold as Ratnagiri or Devgad Alphonso. We were informed that some vendors were selling mangoes that had started rotting on the inside as well as about unfair prices. A lot of queries regarding genuine sellers, wholesalers and retailers were also seen. Thus, we at APMC decided to set up this online initiative.”
Members regularly update the page, which goes by the name of the association, with names and contact details of mango retailers across the city. “We post daily rates of different varieties of mangoes so that people are aware of the market price and can avoid being cheated,” Ursal stated.
According to Ursal, a meeting with APMC members as well as retailers was conducted to guide them on sale of mangoes. “Different varieties of Alphonso mangoes look very similar but where they are grown and the local soil has a great impact on the quality,” he explained.
Another aim of the page is to create awareness among the citizens about the wide variety of mangoes available in the market. Ursal added, “We have also added two helpline numbers on the page, which also serve as complaint numbers.”