With simmering differences between members of the Farmers Market and vegetable dealers in the Municipal Market coming to the fore here on Monday transactions in the former were hit for a few hours in the morning.
Protesting against the alleged high handedness of the Municipal Market traders, the farmers refused to sell goods. They said that since they were making available good quality vegetables and fruits at reasonable prices, consumers were flocking to the Uzhavar Sandhai which according to them is one of the best farmers’ market in the State.
Regrettably some of the traders in the Municipal Market were trying to tarnish the image of the Farmers Market.
Alleging that they were being threatened by the traders, they said that on Sunday evening some of them had made an unauthorised entry into the Farmers Market and vandalised their goods.
They sought protection for themselves and their goods.
The traders, however, contended that vegetable dealers from other places were posing as farmers and selling vegetables in the Farmers Market.
They complained that it was functioning beyond the official working hours.
Assistant Agriculture Officer Krishnakumar said that since the farmers here can only bring hill vegetables, a few persons in the plains had been given cards to bring vegetables from other districts.