Now, smartphone app for vegetable vendors

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 19

With the threat of Covid infection looming large and social distancing norms being enforced at crowed places, like wholesale vegetable markets (mandis), people are coming up with novel ideas to run their businesses.

Many vegetable growers as well as green-grocers have been reaching out to the doorsteps of their customers for home delivery of fruits and vegetables in order to remain financially afloat during the troubled times, while some are relying on technology to reach out to people.

“I have been supplying vegetables grown by me to vendors as well as customers in the nearby villages and also Rohtak city,” says Jagmender Kundu, an organic farmer based in Bahu Akbarpur village of Rohtak district.

A Bangalore-based fresh produce supply-chain company which procures fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers and supplies it to retail shopkeepers has expanded its base in Haryana during the lockdown.

“We operate through a mobile app. Our representatives reach out to retail shopkeepers who sell fruits and vegetables and tell them to download our app. Following that we supply them fruits and vegetables as per their requirements on a daily basis through the app,” says Manish, a manager at a local micro-distribution centre of the company.

The idea has begun to click among the retailers who have been facing multifarious problems in going to wholesale mandis amidst risk of contracting Covid infection as well as logistic issues.

“I order fruits and vegetables through this mobile app, which gives the options of doorstep delivery as well as self-pickup as per our convenience,” said Ashok, a shopkeeper in Sector 1, Rohtak.