Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Jor Bagh Sunday market a hub for chemical-free food

- Neha Pushkarna neha.pushkarna@hindustant­imes.com

NEW DELHI: If juicy round tomatoes with little green stem, bottle gourd with its soiled tender skin, and fresh brinjals entice you, head straight to the Delhi Organic Farmers Market in Jor Bagh on Sunday morning. Organic farmers gather here every week with their products which are grown without using chemicals.

The venue at building number 1, Jor Bagh Market, may seem dingy but anyone who goes in-comes out with bags full of farm fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits and lots of excitement.

“We buy vegetables from here every week as we can be sure they are safe and healthy,” said Deepali Mittal, a lecturer from Hauz Khas. For many like Deepali, the Sunday market has become a family trip. The market runs from 9 am to 12 noon and also has a live kitchen serving organic theplas and dhoklas with chutneys of many kinds.

Started as a small set-up at Lodi Garden Restaurant, DOFM moved to its current location last year. “This market is a direct link between growers and buyers. We have management profession­als, engineers, a fighter pilot, a nutritioni­st selling their products at this market. We don’t do it for profit. It’s our passion. It’s to educate people about the benefits of organic food,” said Sneh Yadav, who sells veggies grown at her farm in Tijara in Rajasthan. The prices are way above the cost of vegetables and fruits sold outside. But the quality too is visibly higher. There are at least 10 farmers and producers of organic items including cookies, breads, namkeens, dairy products and even cosmetics.

“We use only the pure stuff like ghee made from milk given by cows left free to graze in an organic field. Wheat is stone-grind and sugar used is desi khand. So the prices are higher,” said Akhil Kapoor, who was a fighter pilot for 30 years.

Initially, mostly foreigners living around the area visited the market. But now 60% customers include locals. Organic agricultur­e and trade runs on trust alone as none of the sellers at this market goes for any certificat­ion. They say certifying one sample costs up to `25,000. So they do a quality check on each other by surprise visiting the farms. Though government launched the National Programme on Organic Production in 2000 and also identified agencies to inspect and certify organic farms, most such farmer keep away from it.

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