Ethnography Research

SABZI MANDI
Introduction

Agriculture is one of the most critical sectors of the Indian economy. Growth and
development of agriculture and allied sector directly affect the well-being of people at
large, rural prosperity and employment. Farmers in India have been in a state of exploit since
ages and govt. has never stopped finding solutions for this. One of the biggest solutions was
establishment of Mandis or Agriculture Produce Market Commitee (APMC). Sabzi Mandi in
itself has a great significance in a localtiy.
To begin with, we must go back to when the MANDI system emerged. What were the reasons
that led to the formation of this system and then study its elements in details covering the
SABZI MANDI of four ethnographies :
Lucknow
Yamunanagar
Bazpur
Meerut.
Contents
1. What are Mandis?
1.1 What are different types of Mandis.
1.2 Why we need Mandis.
1.3 What Mandi does.
1.4 Benefits of Mandi System.
2. Location of Sabzi Mandi
3. Infrastructure.
4. What is APMC?
5. Problems Faced by Sabzi Mandi.
6. Area Density Zones.
7. Vendor Mapping
8. Buyer’s Mapping
9. Moods of Mandi
10. People of Mandi
11. Observations
12. Learnings.
What are MANDIS? What are different types
of MANDIS?
Mandi in Hindi language means market
place. Traditionally, such market places were
FISH
for food and agri-commodities. However, over
time the coverage of mandis got widened to
include trading hubs for grains, vegetables, JAGGERY
timber, gems and diamonds; almost every
tradable was included.

SABZI PULSES DRY FRUIT

Why we need MANDIS? Benefits of Mandi System
At old times famers only knew how to do
farming and wasn’t aware much about
selling their good at right price and place.
Farmers lacked of..
Regulate Market Co-operative
•Lack of storage Facility
agriculture societies
•Lack of Effective Transportation
•Lack of Marketing information in farmer
•Lack of Adequate Finance

What mandi does ?

Minimum Support Subsidised
Mandi Marketing process includes Price transport
assembling, Grading of goods, Storage,
processing, transportation, packing, and
distribution of agricultural commodities
across the country.
It includes the services involved in moving
the agriculture products from to ultimate Public Distribution Standardization &
consumer. System grading
Location of Sabzi Mandis.

The location of Sabzi Mandi is kept on the out

skirts of the city. There is a lot of trade that
happens in the mandi during the early hours
of the day, So in order to not disturb the city
with the noise and honking of heavy vehicles,
the location is kept aloof.
Also, as the import and export are a major
concern the areas are well connected with
highways and roads and are kept close to
railway stations, Bus stations, etc.
INFRASTUCTURE:

Types of Market Building

There are four basic types of market buildings
that can accommodate the main commercial
1.Garage Type 2. Back-To-Back Type
floor space.
1.Garage Type
2. Back-To- Back Type
3. Central Spine, With Buyer’s Walk
4. Central Spine/Ball Type -Market Building
3. Central Spine, With Buyer’s Walk 4. Central Spine/Ball Type -Market Building

Bazpur Sabzi Mandi is Central Spine, Lucknow Sabzi Mandi is Central Spine, Meerut Sabzi Mandi is Central Spine,
With Buyer’s Walk type. With Buyer’s Walk type. With Buyer’s Walk type.
 Yamunanagar Sabzi Mandi is Central Spine with Buyer’s Walk type.

Basic Required Infrastructure Market Authoritiy Building 3. An Emergency clinic

1. Shop The site should be administered bt the market 4. First Aid post
2. Auction Area authority firm a central service building which 5. Weights and Measures Office
3. Platform contain services like: Provision should aslo be made on the site for:
4. Roads 1. An agriculture culture input unit 1. Public Toilets
5. Electricity 2. A post Office 2. Buildings and Maintenance facilities
6. Water Supply 3. Public Telephone Bhooth 3. Centralized solid waste collection
7. Sewerage 4. A General Office 4. Entrance Control Gate
8. Sufficient infrastructure for market activities 5. A Director/Manager's Office 5. Security facilities
9. Waiting zones (hold area) As the market is being operated by different 6. Staff canteen
10. Corporate Office public bodies so it must have genreal facilities 7. Tea Shop
11. Fire Fighting System which includes: 8. Hostel accommodation for farmers or
12. Solid waste management 1. A hall for public meeting vendors who are obliged to remain in the
13. Storage facilities 2. Accomodation for market information Mandi overnight.
 1 3 4
6

1.Water
3 4 Supply

2.Toilet
3.Open
5 Platform
2
4.Covered
Platform
5.Urinals

6.Electrical
Service

Services at Yamunanagar Sabzi Mandi

5
What is APMC?

1. Agricultural Produce Market Committee 3. The introduction of APMC was to limit the 5. APMC is also responsible for the regulation
(APMC) is a system operating under the State occurrence of Distress Sale by the farmers of agricultural trading practices. This results
Government since agricultural marketing is a under the pressure and exploitation of in multiple benefits like:
State subject. creditors and other intermediaries. 1. Needless intermediaries are eliminated.
2. The APMC has Yards/Mandis in the market 4.APMC ensures worthy prices and timely 2.Improved market efficiency through a
area that regulates the notified agricultural payments to the farmers for their produce. decrease in market charges.
produce and livestock. 3. The producer-seller interest is well protected.

Auctioning the
FARMERS APMC Mandi produce on
established price.

Produce sold Commission agents

in the Mandi to charge commission
Wholesalers. for facilitationg trade.
 •Lack of proper Drainage while raining:
Problems Faced by Sabzi The impact of the rains was evident on Mandi.
Mandi Lack of sufficient drainage led to standing
water in between vendors.
•There are no sheds to protect the vegetable Excess moisture is concerning because,
sellers and customers from scorching heat in especially when not well ventilated, moisture
summer and rains in monsoon season. Though
most of the vegetable sellers had been allotted
shops in the Municipality building in the
Mandi where they could store their articles in
the night and take shelter during rains, others
are bound to face the ire of the nature in the
form of rains in the monsoon season as they
have been allotted open space in the Mandi to
run their business.
can allow for bacteria and fungi to grow,
promoting decay and reducing the quality
of the food product. Further, standing water
close to food products, as pictured above,
demonstrates the potential for produce to
come into contact with unsanitary water. This
could further increase the rate of deterioration,
leading to quantity, quality and, ultimately, •Waste Management: also give invitation to various diseases.
economic losses. An average Waste generated estimated 12,000
•It is disappointing that in the whole Mandi tons of produce that moves through the • In many Mandis it is observed that even if the
there is not even a single dustbin, due to market every day. Once produce shipments Dustbins are provided, the number of dustbins
which the vegetable and fruit sellers are bound are received, leaves, husks, and clippings are is not apt according to the amount of garbage.
to throw the waste and spoiled vegetable typically removed before the items are sold. The dustbins are either not emptied by the
and fruits in the open, which create a bad The approximately 2 000 tons of waste need authorities regularly or they keep overflowing.
impression on the minds of the customers and The litter eventually falls on the land leading
to land pollution and many other problems.
Overflowing Dustbins

Exposed Litter
1 2 3 4 5 6 8
7 9
10 11

to be moved from the market daily to make

room for new produce to come in. The market
operator, a government agency, loads it onto •Competition: There is too much of
carts and dump the waste into sectioned off competition between them as they all earn
enclosures, where cows and dogs pick at it for their daily needs. This scene is mostly
until dump trucks come twice daily to haul the observed in the evening time as they want to
waste off to the city dump. sell everything.But this competition also leads
to side effects like ;they do not get fair prices their vehicle in front of the shops, rickshaws,
as they keep on decreasing price in the wave of two-wheelers and trailers are to be act as
competition. onstreet parking in the mandi which is the
major problem for all the road users, SMV’s to
•Parking issue is a mystery, collusive and carry out and transfer their goods on time due
critical all over the world. The Mandi is served to the long queue acting in the mandi.
with two major roads to connect and ease Car parked inside the Mandi area and
from the traffic delay time to supplying the not in the parking.

goods and services from the mandi, but there No two-wheeler is seen in the
parking area, people prefer to take
will be not adequate parking space allotted them inside.

for the SMV’s or freight vehicles and other

para-transit modes in the market. The narrow
streets of mandi’s are served with the SMV’s
or general public at the peak time by parking
Lack of Store Houses Stray Animals of strange dogs chasing the vehicle.
An important deficiency of Indian agricultural It is a common sight to see stray animals loitering As these dogs are unhygienic they may cause
marketing is the lack of storehouses. Due to around Sabzi Mandi and even occupying space allergy to some people when they come in
lack of this facility, the farmer is unable to in the middle of the road.Cows and bulls freely contact. Pigs are one of the most unhygienic
keep his product safely until it can fetch a fair roam in Sabzi Mandi and cause obstacle.This
price, and he is forced to sell his product at disrupts the flow which often leads to jams.
a low price. The insufficient and unscientific Many times, bulls lock horns on the roads and
facilities of shortage which are available, waste pose threat to the passersby.
large quantities of grains. Approximately 20%
to 30% gains are lost due to rats, insects, etc.
and the farmers have to bear crores of loss due
to lack of these facilities.
animals.They sleep in the most unhygienic
place all day long. They carry virus which
causes swine flue which is a deadly disease.
These pigs invade Mandi which increases the
People are a harassed a lot owing to a growing risk of swine flue among the people of mandi.
stray dog menace in the Mandi.There have
been frequent complaints from the people
about dog bites inside Mandi premises.
There is no provision to store the vegetables, so the Several accident have also been
vendors are left with no choice to take the stock back.
reported in Mandi premises because
AREA DENSITY ZONES
10 people
6 people
3 people
0 people
per 60cm2
AREA DENSITY ZONES
10 people
6 people
3 people
0 people
per 60cm2
AREA DENSITY ZONES
10 people
6 people
3 people
0 people
per 60cm2
AREA OF VENDORS
AREA OF VENDORS
AREA OF VENDORS
AREA OF BUYERS
AREA OF BUYERS
AREA OF BUYERS
 in the name of stock is bad quality food. The
Moods of Mandi In Morning odour of Mandi changes and many vendors
who are over with their stock leaves ending
Sabzi Mandi like any human being has its own
their day at their SACRED PLACE.
moods. Throughout the day as the time passes
it changes its mood. What we see it at night or
during the very early hours of the day would
not at all be same during the noon. In early
hours, loading and unloading happens along
with vendors reaching to get the best stock
keeping it busy at that time too. Now as the
day starts rising the mood changes and buyers
come into the scene. The Mandi is all packed.
As the sun comes amid sky, mandi gets messier
and less crowded, the buyer number reduces

At Noon
and the vendors also get tired of the hustle
of the morning. As the day sets and evening
comes, the Mandi is all messy, the litter and
At Night garbage cover the space and all what remains At Evening
 People of MANDI
Among the massive crowd of the Sabzi Mandi
the people were observed to be categorized
according to their roles. The following were
the roles which they had:
•Vendor : They are the primary source of
service to the people.
•Buyer : They are the only receivers of the
services provided by the mandi system.
•Labour : They are the backbones of sabzi
mandi as they help in transport, loading,
unloading, etc.
•Commission Agent : They are the mediators
between the supplying and the receiving ends.
•Administration : They set up the rates
daily for the mandi system. They control and
operate the working system of the Mandi.
Observations mandi there were two girls selli•ng vegetables. • Very few people in the crowd who had come
•Many people at entrance: I observed there to buy fruits or vegetables were wearing mask
were many people on the first vendor who was and taking proper precaution.
sitting on the entrance. • None of the Sabzi Mandi vendors were
•Less Crowd: There were really less people wearing mask or gloves.They were not taking
there because it was the day just after Monday. any short of precautions against Corona.
•Few Vendors: Only the local vendors were • Most of the Vendors who were selling fruits
there today as the outsiders just come on • Buisness at mandi begins before sunrise with and vegetables were male.
Monday to sell their vegetables the arrival of fruits and vegetables. • Sabzi Mandi was very unhygienic and dirty.
•Sex Ratio: I observed that there was 30/70 • A lot of people were there in Sabzi Mandi to There were litters everywhere in Mandi,even
women to men ratio. buy vegetables and fruits at a cheaper rate. the ditch was blocked by the litter which was
•No precautions: Very few people were • Most of the people who were there to buy preventing proper flow of water.
wearing mask . Also no one was actually vegetables and frutis were Vendors themselves. • Even though there was parking space available
following social distancing. They were buying vegetables and fruits in bluk in Mandi people were driving there vehicles
•Litter Condition: The place was quite clean at a much cheaper price. inside Mandi to buy fruits and vegetables.
,I saw that the litter was all gathered at a • There were microphones at certains distances • There were a lot of trucks parked at the
particular place. in Mandi which was announcing the rules and entrance of Mandi on both side of the road.
•Fresh Vegetables: Vegetables were fresh as regulations that one has to follow in Sabzi The trucks had fruits and vegetables in them
they just got it a day before. Mandi. which were being unloaded.
Fresh Fruits : Fruits were also looked fresh. • Although the announcement was being made •Public transport like E-rikshaw were
•Vendors: Though most of the vendors were again and again it was not taken seriously and frequently coming and going in Mandi.
males but I found that on the outer side of no one was following it.
 • Vendors didn’t want themselves to be mandi.
recorded. • Road was full of rotten and spoiled vegetables
• Sabzi Mandi is most crowded during the day. • The traders had beds in their shops, for they and fruits thrown on road by vendors and
• It is an important place for vendors. They had to spend all day from early mornings to which was then eaten by roadside animals like
come here around 3 A.M to get the best stock. late nights in the shops so they rest there. cow, pig..
• The vendors there were working since a long • They’re were a lot of stray animals around, • Male:Female Ratio 5:1
time, some even worked about more than 40 Cows, Dogs and oxes. • As interviewed a person who comes to sell
years. • There were concereted hollow pipies to fit his good there for past 15 years
• The government considers the as place of their umbrellas in. They packed and locked i came across alots of insights he also said that
concern and keeps maintained. their stuff their. during rainy place got full of water.
• The litter and garbage of the place was all • Many vendors locked their carts in the Mandi • Vedors were very skeptical and scared in
thrown on the buyer’s walk. The vendors only. telling about their mandi system and giving
wanted their place to be clean. • The sex ratio is 4:1 any other info. about mandi
• Many vendors came so early that they have • Every afternoon after mandi ends nagar
to do their necessary chores in mandi. They • Too much traffic because the trucks coming nigam people came clean the area and roads
also had their clothes out for drying. in mandi, unloading in front of traders shop where mandi sets everyday... and sometimes
• The vendors have to compete among during the time sale and blocking the road they collect litter and garbage then keep it
themselves. • There was a truck scale which truck weighting aside the road.. which then goes into narrow
• There were children who also came along machine at entrance of mandi but it wasn’t passages of drainage and block it, also they
with their parents(vendors) to the Mandi. from years. didn’t clean other area.
• The people were concerned about masks and • No proper parking was there people are • Toilets were not at all maintained, people
sanitizers. parking in front of shops or just outside the peeing behind buildings
Learnings were unknown to me before. less because of rates given to them by the
3. I learned about the infrastructure of Sabzi committee and if not that then they have to
After this research I learned that Sabzi Mandi Mandi and the kind of building present in even bear losses due to the competition wave
really impacts the ethnography of the place. every Mandi. between their peers.
It connects with the people so well that the 4. While researching I got to know the ~Shubhi
routines and lifes of people revolve around problems that people face in Sabzi Mandi be it
this place. a buyer or a seller. Agriculture is the backbone of country and
It is a monument in itself. Maintaing and 5. I got to know about the transportation contribute a major part in economy so the
taking care this place is a major neccesity. The system in Mandi and how does it happen. system of distribution has to be properly
all day hustling of this place adds a spirit of ~Aditya controlled and that’s where Mandi comes in as,
liveliness to the city. People going, engaging mandi was designed to do so but now a days
and considering it a part of their lives whether To be honest , mandi was just a marketplace seeing the conditions and problems around
it be a Buyer or a Vendor or anyone. to me before but after this research I am really mandi system is just running with so much
~Parth amazed to know the various stages involved of loopholes causing problems which are be
before the things reach to us. unseen by people and hidden through our
1. While I was doing the research I came to While interviewing the vendors I got to know research we get insight and came across it.
know about the local bodies i.e. APMC which the losses they had to suffer during Corona. Mandi is designed for farmer and consumer
is there to look after farmers and vendors to I got to know that they are not financially but if see in depth of it’s more about Aadrti
avoid their exploitation by any means. supported much by the government ,which (Trader or middle man) now a days they quite
2. I came to know about how mandi works, means that even if they want loans to increase mold the things as their convince. But there’s
how the rates of vegetables or fruits are their business they cannot do it. commites like Apmc who there to inspect.
decided, about the allotment system ect which I got to know the profit they earn is also very ~Shivam