By Jim Mele, editor-in-chief
Chennai, India. The Koyembedu Market serves as the main produce distribution center for this major southern Indian city, offering a lively example of the country’s growing reliance on truck carriage which is expected to make it the third largest commercial vehicle market in the world by 2015.
Tractor-trailers and 40-ton and above heavy trucks bring bananas, limes, and other vegetables and fruits in from the countryside, as well as imported goods like Washington State apples from the nearby Indian Ocean port. The bulk shipments are broken down directly off the backs of the trucks by distributers. Although pedal and hand carts still ply the market allies, most of the goods these days are reloaded onto light and medium trucks for delivery to city stores and retailers within hours, supplying a city of over 4 million with farm fresh produce every day.
