SAHIWAL: The row between the Fruit Retailers Association (FRA) comprising cart vendors and the Fruit Merchants Association (FMA) intensifies over overcharging of fruits’ levy.

The FRA has been protesting that the commission agents have been charging Rs10 to 20 levy against the District Market Committee’s official rate of Rs2 (for a fixed quantity of banana). The retailers at a press conference on Friday demanded implementation of the rates fixed by the Punjab government.

District Market Committee Secretary Zubair Hussain told Dawn that the commission agents were illegally charging Rs10 to 20 in violation of the Punjab Agriculture Marketing Regulatory Act 2018 and Rule 40 (4) of Market Committee Regulations. Even after a passage of 10 days, he said, the district administration had failed to resolve the conflict.

FRA chairman Sheikh Usman, who represents more than 5,000 fruit cart pushers and other vendors, said the commission agents took Rs10 and Rs20 for fruits and the market committee inspectors collected the levy and deposited it with the government. He said that three weeks ago the FMA higher-ups led by chairman Sarwar Jatala unilaterally increased the levy.

Sources say there 15 to 20 big and 40 to 50 small commission agents in the fruit market where they sell fruits worth over Rs40 million daily.

The retailers said they were facing exploitation and the new rates were unacceptable to them. They have been protesting in front of the commissioner and DC offices since June 21. It is learnt that the DMC has started serving notices on the commission agents.

Zubair Ahmed said the officials had served notices on the commission agents and would penalise them.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2022