Mumbai is known as the city that never sleeps and to keep it going, thousands of people work in the early morning hours. These people are the vegetable sellers, traders, and dealers at Kalyan's APMC, who work from 2 am to 7.15 am daily to send trucks of vegetables and fruits to other cities every day.Every day, at around 2 am, over 225 trucks of vegetables and fruits arrive at APMC at Bailbazaar in Kalyan west. "These vegetables come from parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh," Ravindra Ghodvinde, ex-president of Kalyan APMC, said.According to sources, onions and tomatoes come from parts of Maharashtra while potatoes, peas, and cauliflowers come from Gujarat and Punjab. Traders said that capsicums come from Otur, Nashik, and Pune while green leafy vegetables like spinach and methi come from Narayangaon and Pune.The vegetables are then unloaded by hundreds of loaders, who are paid Rs 2 to Rs 5 per crate or gunny bag. The dealers and traders then, immediately sell off these goods to local buyers and dispatch some of them to parts of Mumbai, Thane, Vasai-Virar.

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Tomatoes and capsicums are a bit expensive as they are priced at Rs 40 and Rs 55 per kg respectively. "Prices have been high over the past one week," said Bashirchand Bhagwan (81), who is a seller at the Kalyan APMC. "We pick up tomatoes that cost us Rs 750 per crate. Then, we sell each crate at a profit of Rs 50 to Rs 60," he added.Similarly, spinach, methi, coriander and other leafy greens are sold in bundles. "Palak costs as much as Rs 3- Rs 6 per bundle while methi is Rs 10-15 per bundle," said a trader, who does not wish to be named. These vegetables are then sold at a price of Rs 10-Rs 15 per bundle.

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The vegetables are sent in trucks to Chembur, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Dadar, Byculla in Mumbai, Thane, Dombivli, Panvel, Ulhasnagar, Badlapur, and so on by 8 am. Due to the cost of transportation and manpower, prices of these veggies double up in Mumbai. For instance, tomatoes worth Rs 40 per kg in Kalyan costs Rs 60-Rs 80 in Mumbai. Similarly, a bundle of spinach costs Rs 30 in Mumbai while it is Rs 10-Rs 15 in Kalyan," Bhagwan further added.

  • 225 No. of trucks that arrive at APMC Vashi on a daily basis to sell off produce
  • 100 Over a hundred labourers start the process of unloading veggies 
  • 2K Nearly 2K hamals load purchases into respective trucks