Dodging middlemen, farmers on the Yamuna floodplains sell their produce directly

The farmers on the banks of Yamuna in Delhi have dodged the intermediaries by 

selling their products directly to retailers or consumers in nearby colonies, thereby earning a relatively better income.

Access to ready market in nearby areas has been a blessing to these urban farmers. “We sell our produce directly to the retailers from nearby areas like Mayur Vihar market, Samaspur Village, Chilla Gaon, Patparganj.

 The retailers come early in the morning on their rickshaws to get their supplies,” Balgit Singh, a farmer of the Mayur Vihar Yamuna floodplain said. By sourcing their supply directly from farmers rather from mandis, even the retailers are able earn healthy profits.

Urban farming is an integral part of the city’s economy as it makes up a substantial part of vegetable supply in Delhi but more importantly, it is a vital source of livelihood for the poor farming community. Yet, they do not have government identification cards which mean that they don’t have access to government schemes.

 Moreover, their huts don’t have power and cooking gas connections. “Life is very tough here. No electricity, no gas. Since there is no power, we sleep early and for cooking we use wood as fuel,” said Binna, another farmer.

Mayur Vihar farmers are part of Delhi’s extensive Yamuna floodplain farmers. These farmers are migrants from the neighboring states and they have been cultivating vegetables on the banks of Yamuna from generations. Contrary to what is generally assumed, Delhi has an extensive area under farming. 

According to the Economic Survey of Delhi (2008-2009), total cropped area in Delhi is 33,000 hectare, which is 22 per cent of the total area of Delhi. 

Moreover, government has been encouraging farmers to shift from wheat cultivation to high income fetching cultivation of vegetables and flowers.