Periodic markets are a key example of a Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) informal market, serving as the focal point through which rural populations interact with the wider economy (Satyam & Aithal, 2018). Known as haat in Bengali, periodic markets are
Figure 9: Southern part of West Bengal. Places mentioned in the text are highlighted on the map (Layout: Shantonu abe , Cartography Regine Spohner).
opportunities for local exchange or retail of goods, and for aggregation at the rural level. The mobility of vendors and the periodic nature of the markets are key characteristics (Velayudhan, 2016). Apart from economic transactions, social exchanges take place as well, making the markets integral to the social life of rural areas. Attributing their existence to the “friction of distance”, academic research predicts that periodic markets will become increasingly irrelevant as permanent retail outlets become more prevalent as infrastructure improves (Velayudhan, 2016). Despite these predictions, it is estimated that there are over 47,000 periodic markets in India (Satyam & Aithal, 2018), and this number may keep increasing. Here, I look at Nadia Haat, a new market nested within a periodic market.
Shailen Chandi is the key figure behind Nadia Haat (see Figure 9 for location), and he explained how it was an integral part of how he got other farmers interested in organic production. In 2019, he was awarded a Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward by the central Ministry of Agriculture for his work on propagating Bengal aromatic rice varieties, most notably the Radhatilak variety. Besides organic or “herbal” [bheshoj] rice production, he also helps create a market for organic produce grown alongside or in rotation with the rice. At the workshop, Shailen Chandi explained briefly the history of the formation of Nadia Haat. His interest in organic agriculture started when NABARD sent him and other farmers to Ramakrishna Mission for a six-day training course in organic agriculture in 2010. This was part of a wider initiative by NABARD to help form two dozen Farmers’ Clubs in Shantipur Block of Nadia district, West Bengal state. After implementing what he learned there in his own village, the District Development Manager (DDM) was pleased with his work, and asked him to compile a list of other possible candidates to receive similar training. Working together, they sent around 55 farmers to receive this six-day training between 2010-2013. Around the same time, Shailen Chandi joined the Kishan Swaraj Samity, where he learnt more about issues like seed rights and land rights (included under the broader concept of food sovereignty). This increased his interest in organic agriculture, and also helped to get other farmers interested.
One problem they ran into quite early on was of fragmentation. Land belonging to an individual farmer is often not continuous, making it difficult to control what gets into
the land. They started strategically selecting fields that were somehow separated from other plots (by roads, waterbodies, or wild shrubs). Farmers were asked to cultivate without chemical inputs in these fields, mainly for household consumption. Anything left over could be sold. Around 2014-15, quite a lot of farmers were practicing this form of agriculture. But a question was raised: where shall we sell this produce? This led to a discussion between the farmers, DRCSC (which had field staff in the area) and Kisan Swaraj Samity about what could be done. In January, 2018, Shailen Chandi attended the Safe World festival organized by DRCSC and BhoomiKa in Kolkata. Their group was invited to bring their organic produce for sale. This event got him started thinking about verifying whether there was sufficient local demand in Shantipur to support organic production. Motivated by this thought, they started their own “poison-free food market” [bishmukto khadyo bazar], Nadia Haat, in June of the same year. The Haat sits twice a week, with more than 60 regular customers. He also actively contacted local newspapers, and asked them to visit farmers from their group, to investigate how poison-free agriculture was being practiced. They were also asked to go to the market and ask the consumers why they wanted this food so much. One of the most common responses they got was “the food is different from what you get on the market”.
The market sits in the afternoon from 4 p.m. till 6 p.m. This particular farmers’ group does not have to pay the regular market fees – they get a place for free on the premises of the small temple adjacent to the marketplace. The temple owner is a friend of Shailen Chandi’s, and approves of the work that they are doing as a social welfare organization. Buyers start lining up as early as half an hour before this time in eager anticipation. The four or five sellers for the day (representative farmers), having collected vegetables from the other farmers, arrives at around 3:45 p.m. on their bicycles, at which point there is a general hubbub as the buyers start claiming the vegetables that they want. Indeed, on some days, the seller does not have to lay out the vegetables for display because they are all claimed. Once this process is over, the customers line up again to pay for their purchases. Prices are rarely haggled over; the customers want what they have claimed, whatever the price. The accounts are maintained by a student hired for this purpose by the farmers. Where they previously paid several middlemen around 10% of the price to aggregate the produce, they now aggregate it themselves and pay this student to
maintain records. This allows them to skip two or three intermediaries, thus realizing a better price for the farmers, while keeping the prices the same as produce sold elsewhere in the market (aggregated by middlemen). According to their calculations, they experience increases of up to 40% in profit. Once all the money owed by the buyers is collected by the student, it is paid back to the farmers. All records, including which farmer brought what produce and which customer bought which product, are maintained in a paper notebook. This helps keep accounting transparent, and any errors (over- or under-charging) can be solved easily. Sales amount to around INR 8,000 (A little less than EUR 100) per week, as around 120 kg of produce is sold.
A key question is how they gain the trust of their consumers that their produce is indeed produced without artificial inputs. Shailen Chandi explains that he asks customers to buy a small amount and test it for themselves. Customers can experience for themselves that the produce does not rot as quickly as something bought elsewhere, or that the taste is different. It is meaningless, he asserts, to say that something is “poison-free” without asking customers to experiment and see it for themselves. He admits that there are no inspections of production systems by a third party, and that their organization is unable to arrange for training in skills like compost-making or liquid fertilizer-making. Farmers rely on the knowledge gained during the six-day training, as well as exchanging information amongst themselves. However, he says that yields have remained relatively stable, and because the members see the various benefits of cultivating organic rice and vegetables, they persist in doing so.