CUTTACK: Purchase fresh vegetables brought directly from the village farms at Baliyatra. For the first time, a stall selling vegetables has come up at the trade fair this year.
‘Ama Gaon Pariba’ (Our Village Vegetables) stall has been set up under the aegis of Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) at its dedicated pavilion. The stall selling varieties of fresh vegetables produced by members of Maa Charchika Self Help Group of Govindpur under Badamba block in Cuttack district has been attracting visitors in droves.
The SHG has sold more than 1500 bundles of coriander leaf, 1000 bundles of mint leaf (pudina) and 500 bundles of turmeric leaf in the first three of the fair which kicked off on Tuesday. Besides the visitors, coriander and mint leaves are also in huge demand among food stalls at the Baliyatra ground.
With Prathama Astami round the corner the demand for turmeric leaves are in high demand. The leaf is used in preparation of ‘Enduri Pitha’ on Prathama Astami day.
A bundle of coriander leaf and mint is being sold at Rs 10 while turmeric leaf bundle is priced at Rs 20.
“The aroma of coriander, mint and turmeric leaves is better than hybrid ones available in the market,” said Monorama Bose, a city-based housewife. Also available are cabbage, radish, beans, ridge gourd, yam etc and green leafy vegetables.
“The locally grown vegetables and greens available at the stall have their distinctly natural aroma and taste,” said Depanjali Sahu, a housewife of Jobra.
All the vegetables are produced by sowing indigenous seeds and using organic manure instead of harmful chemical fertilisers, said Sadasib Behera, a member of the SHG, who is managing the stall.
Fresh vegetables and greens are brought from our farmlands daily for sale at the stall and all the transportation cost is borne by ORMAS, Behera said. The SHG fears it may not be able to meet the huge demand as such rush was not anticipated.
“We have provided a direct selling platform to SHG members engaged in farming to sell their produce by eliminating intermediaries,” said Joint CEO, ORMAS, Cuttack, Bipin Rout adding it would also give them an exposure to urban market and urban consumers.