Journalism of Courage
The three-month old organic vegetable stall at Empress Garden has been attracting good demand and profitable sales
It’s a small stall. Neat,sealed stacks of cucumbers,carrots,lady fingers,tomatoes,et al lie on top of a table in disciplined rows. A similar scene on an adjacent table,except that the packets contain colourful pulses,shining in the summer sun. In a tempo close by,one man looks absorbed in laying a damp sheet on some more leafy veggies.
The stall supplies vegetables sourced from the Club’s farms in Hinjewadi. “Tomatoes and onions also come from farms in Satara,” reveals Laxman Babar,who drives the ‘Farm Fresh’ tempo and has been minding the stall for two months. A farmer himself,Babar recounts going to housing societies earlier to sell the produce. “But the demand was limited then,and people would suspect as to why the vegetables are priced higher,or if they are organic at all,” Babar says. Organic vegetables could be 15 per cent more expensive than market fare,and the quantum of their supply is also smaller. But their chemical-free rearing makes them an exceptionally healthy eating option.
The club’s farm near Hinjewadi IT Park is a 17 km swathe that grows broccoli,Chinese cabbage,zucchini,celery,parsley,iceberg and Roman lettuce and cherry tomatoes. “These are some salad and soup vegetables that are not easily available in the city. Only 0.4 per cent of farmers in the city even grow these crops. But the industry can grow more feasible as buyers are willing to pay good money for healthy,fresh produce,” says Bodke. The club has improved on its monetary rewards by eliminating middle-men and instead roping in women from self-help groups (SHGs). These women help in harvesting,packing and selling at stalls. There are 1360 women from 122 SHGs who are now engaged with the club. In the process of running the stall,the farmers club is also guiding Empress Garden in setting up a polyhouse to grow exotic vegetables.
A lot of the demand that comes to the stall is concentrated in Kothrud and Camp. And it looks set to expand as additions are made to the items available at the stall. “We are planning to start selling milk and milk products soon,initially bringing in 50 litres a day. Once the certification is completed in June,we will have fruits like anjeer,sitaphal and pomegrenate on our list,” says Bodke.
Two female agricultural college graduates are being trained to handle the stall activities,and will take over from May 1. One month later,the produce from the Empress polyhouse too will be up for sale. “We plan also to stock celery soup,basil chai,cherry tomato chaat and boiled sweet corn. We are currently training some women in mastering these recipes at our Hinjewadi office,” reveals Bodke.
