Sambalpur: Come summer, people used to face scarcity of green vegetables in the market just a few years ago. Locally grown white gram and white pea varieties besides potato and onion were the only ones available. But this is no more the case at present, a report said.
Now, thanks to the diligent farmers, almost all green vegetables are available in the local market round the year. It is due to their sheer determination and hard work that these vegetables are coming to market despite harsh weather.
Some vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, carrot, beetroot, beans and jack fruit were rarely grown locally and usually brought from distant markets to cater to the exclusive customers. Just a few years ago, common man dare not buy these veggies fearing they may drill a hole in his pocket.
Sharing his experiences, Biplab Panigrahi said that most of them are locally produced now. Such a luxury was a rarity a few years ago as only a handful of seasonal vegetables were available during summer.
However, he added that availability of plenty of vegetables was a good sign but if there was no storage facility for them it would lead to their distress sale. In the process, the farmers are exploited by the middlemen.
Ramlal, a vegetable vendor at Golbazar, said he had to sell cabbage at Rs 10 per kg, whereas usually it used to fetch Rs 40 per kg during summer in the past. Cauliflower is facing similar price drop these days.
Summer is the season for onion and the local farmers used to cater to the market needs by their local varieties during these times. For example, there are pockets in Bolangir and Kalahandi districts, where such local varieties of onion are grown in plenty.
The white onion of Titlagarh used to be an exclusive variety for summer needs. It is delectable with watered rice, locally known as ‘pakhala’. It is also claimed that these white onions have qualities to protect consumers from sunstroke.
Ramlal added that Sambalpur market used to depend on Nasik (Maharashtra) for its onion needs. It is sold in the retail market here at the rate of Rs 14-Rs 16 per kg. But he could not describe why the Kalahandi farmers are compelled to sell their onion stocks at Rs 300 per quintal that comes to Rs 3 per kg only.
The reason is obvious: There is no facility to store onions for a longer duration. The local farmers are compelled to dispose of their stocks before the monsoon sets in. Otherwise, they are sure to be doomed. The farmers’ urgent need to dispose of their onion stocks, mainly because of lack of storage facilities and it being a perishable commodity is taken advantage of by the middlemen.
Potato has its place in food charts. But there are some exclusive local varieties that are available during summer and they go well with ‘pakhala’.
A small red and white tuber known as Deogarh potato is exclusively grown in that district and its surrounding areas. But it has become a rarity these days here, as panicked local farmers have avoided growing it in bulk quantities this year.
What shocked many consumers Tuesday was a retail vendor was trying to sell his entire stock of green chilly at Rs 10 per kg in Sambalpur vegetable market. It used to be sold in the market at Rs 100 per kg the previous day. It’s hard to imagine the plight of local farmers, who had sold his green chillies for a song.
Tomato is a household vegetable that is much in demand during summer. It is usually supplied to Sambalpur market from Bangalore and Hyderabad since its local variety is hardly available here during summer. The usual market price used to be not less than Rs 40 per kg; but amazingly it sold at the rate Rs 7 to Rs 10 per kg and the credit goes to the local farmers. However, they are unable to get the real benefit of their hard work.