A survey conducted by the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB) reveals that 290 of the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in the state continue to function as normal. Of the 305 APMCs, 16 markets in the state are shut for various reasons including a weekly holiday.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said all workplaces in major cities of the state, including Mumbai and Pune, will remain shut till 31 March. This is applicable in Mumbai, MMR Region, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur. He urged people not to step out of their homes unnecessarily to curb coronavirus.

The state government has ordered complete shutdown in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, except essential services and public transport. However, banks will remain open in the state, the CM said.

Barring Patan APMC in Kolhapur district that cited coronavirus as the reason for closure on Friday, the rest 15 in the state were shut due to weekly holidays, senior officials of MSAMB said. The markets shut on Friday were Ramtek and Tumbsar in Nagpur, six in Amravati, three in Latur, two in Pune and two in Nashik.

Vashi — the country’s largest wholesale market — was open on Friday with 2,200 vehicles transporting vegetables, fruits, onion and potatoes, and foodgrains, Sanjay Pansare, president, Fruits and Vegetables Association, said. The market was shut on Thursday for disinfection purposes in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The market will remain open on Saturday and will be shut on Sunday due to the weekly holiday and the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The market will remain shut on March 23 due to Mathadi workers celebrations and a call will be taken on Monday for further precautionary measures to be taken.

Balasaheb Deshmukh, chief administrator, Pune APMC, said the market remained open on Friday although some sections of traders had called for a closure in the wake of coronavirus. It would also be open on Saturday but would shut down on Sunday due to the weekly holiday, he said. Deshmukh was quick to add consumers and small traders were keeping away due to the coronavirus fears. “As much as 20% of the arrivals were unsold on Friday since consumers have stocked for the next 15 days in anticipation of a shutdown.”

Sunil Pawar, managing director, MSAMB said although all wholesale markets are operating since the shutdown declared by the government, small retailers and hawkers are not coming to the market for buying.

Sunday has been declared as a lockdown by the Prime Minister himself and it remains to be seen whether transporters will be a part of the shutdown. This could disrupt the supply chain, senior officials said. Moreover since restaurants, canteens, food mess joints, and eateries are shut, the number of buyers has dropped down drastically, officials said. The officials, however, were not in a position to give conclusive data. The wholesale onion market in Nashik also functioned as usual.

The market in Latur, a key pulse-growing region in the state, functioned normally. Lalitbhai Shah, chairman, Latur APMC, said that farmers were coming to the market because they needed money for the upcoming Gudi Padwa festival next week on March 25.