Vellore: Functioning in the Poomaalai complex in Vellore from 6 am to 11 am every Sunday, the market called ‘Nam sandhai’ or Our market has been going down well with the patronising consumers, recording 53 weeks’ performance till now.
At a time when the organic farmers of Vellore were struggling to get a sales outlet for their produce, Shanmugasundaram, Collector, inaugurated what is called ‘nam sandhai’ (our market) way back in October, 2019. The Tamil Nadu State Rural and Urban Livelihood Mission under the women development scheme has been operating this exclusive market for organic farmers jointly with the farmers.
The market has been selling the products of organic farming: vegetables, fruits, greens, country chicken eggs, country jaggery, palmyra sprouts (panang kilangu), rice varieties such as mappillai sambha, kichili sambha, karuppu kavuni etc., cereals. The health-boosting and delicious qualities of the products have attracted the people in hordes to the market.
Moreover, a revolving eco library is also functioning at the market, where farmers and consumers can get to know a great deal about the organic farming through lots of books available there about agriculture and simple indigenous medicine varieties.
Coordinator of the market Senthamizh Selvan says, “This ‘nam sandhai’ was functioning even at the time of corona, of course, sticking to the mandatory safety stipulations. Vegetables and fruits were sold at the doorstep of the people, sparing them the pain of visiting the market amid corona fears.”
“Several educated youths are supporting the market as volunteers. As part of environment protection initiative, plastic bags are not allowed into the market. Instructions have been given to the consumers to bring with them cloth bags. That the organic farmers have been supporting this ‘nam sandhai’ on a large-scale is evident from the following data: Till now 170 farmers have registered with the market. Every week 40-50 farmers take part in the proceedings, recording the sale of Rs.50,000. A large number of farmers take part in the meeting held in the market complex once a month,” said Senthamizh Selvan.
Organic farmer Sadhanantham said, “I have been selling my produce here for the past one-and-half years. As the consumers turning good patrons keep on buying our products continuously, attracted by the quality, we enjoy good prices for our hard labour. The naturally beneficial farming that we have been carrying on with gusto has caught on even among metros and so, no wonder, we have got consumers in places as far as Chennai, Bengaluru etc.”
Another organic farmer Vignesh, talking about his own produce, said, “I have been cultivating our traditional cereal crops. Among them rice varieties such as mappilai sampha, kichili sampha, karuppu kavuni etc. sell like hot cakes. But initially the products were cold-shouldered by consumers. Even the paddy procurement centres turned their back on our hereditary produce. But, thanks to the ‘nam sandhai’ (our market) supported by the people, we have a field day.”
However, Sudarvizhi, Assistant Professor of Agriculture, said, “There are still hiccups in taking this ‘nam sandhai’, a bridge between farmers and consumers, to the people. Things will be far better and brighter if the non-governmental organisations and self-help groups join hands in formulating strategies, detrimental to no one, to popularise the ‘nam sandhai.’ The strategies must be drawn up and implemented in such a way as to ensure that all produce put on display in the market are sold off in no time and several branches of the market are opened in the future.”
Driven by the roaring success of this ‘nam sandhai’, all stake-holders including the organic farmers and consumers want this market to be replicated all over Tamil Nadu.
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