Indian traders stop supplying vegetables to Pakistan as tension rises

Gujarat traders halt supply of chilli and tomatoes to Pakistan as tension rises

Amid tension on its western border escalating, traders from the Indian state of Gujarat have decided to stop supplying vegetables, especially tomatoes and chilli, to Pakistan, the Times of India reports.



Ahmedabad General Commission Agent Association general secretary Ahmed Patel said, "Gujarat used to send 50 trucks having 10 tonnes of vegetables, mainly tomatoes and chilli, to Pakistan from Wagah border but we have stopped supply for the past two days considering the tension between the two countries."

This is the first time in almost two decades that Gujarat traders have decided to halt supply of essential vegetables to its western neighbour, he said. "We will not supply vegetables to Pakistan till the normalisation of relations between the two countries," Patel said.



"The move will result in a daily loss of Rs3 crores," he said, adding that national interest took precedence over commercial interests. "However, we will continue to send vegetables to Bangladesh, Gulf countries, Canada and South Africa," he said.

Separately, India has decided to completely seal its western border with Pakistan by December 2018, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.

“This is time bound, it will be done by December, 2018. We are readying an action plan for that,” Singh said after a meeting with chief and home ministers of Indian-held Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat which border Pakistan.



“A border security grid will be in place soon,” he said, adding that the Indian government was also “looking at technological solutions to man the border.”

This article originally appeared on Times of India.