Simon and Judith with VSO, Nepal: In search of Jumla's products. Kalimati Vegetable Market

Fresh vegetable stalls trade on every street and road intersection. Sellers pushing loaded bicycles and carts constantly parade the byways hailing house holders, pedestrians and any other potential outlet for their veg. It seems that Nepali’s don’t store much fresh food but prefer to buy daily for the small curries that accompany the twice daily daal bhat. Who grows and supplies this array? Did any off it come from Jumli growers?

So in search of answers we set off to one of the cities two wholesale markets across the Bagmari river to Kalimati. Not to miss any action we departed early, and after several misdirection's and back tracks our proximity became apparent when we spotted our first porter laden with bananas. I've always respected 'hard graft', part of my Northern upbringing, and previously women lugging baskets of bricks and gravel shod only in flip flops had gained full admiration. These porters came near to surpassing these female herculean efforts and seemed to be the backbone of product movement within and around the markets.

He is carrying well over his own weight, not the flip flops

The fruit market about to close

Sugar cane from India

Two boxes of Chinese apples and a bag of onions

We followed our fruit carrier but found his destination was a fruit market and it took all Jude’s orienteering skills to home in on our original destination. Once again our proximity was confirmed by seeing another porter, this time taking a pit stop as he carried a huge basket of onions and potatoes to another vendor.

Another huge load and time for a rest

Always time for a smile before moving off again

The daily market is housed in a series of long open sheds where sellers arrange a huge display of crops. Prices are fixed so the only thing that picks one stall owner from another is quality. We had seen a range of crops growing around the city fringes, both outdoor and under simple plastic tunnels, but not all of the products were local.

Superb quality in all directions

Chinese garlic

Amongst the green stuff were another popular products –dried fish which is displayed in large sacks and originated in India. Sacks of garlic another culinary essential had been grown in China, north over the Himal and across Tibet. Traders in a separate shed sold only potatoes and onions, again at pre-set prices. It was here we looked from product grown in Jumla, but whilst it all came from Nepal, non was sourced so far west. This was a common theme, clearly the country’s largest urban population was new ground for Nepal’s far west growers, but was fair game for their Chinese and Indian counter parts.

Dried fish from India

Time for a quick snack

Transport remains a huge problem to the growers in the self declared Organic district of Julma but as we discovered the Government has set up a pesticide residue testing lab in this large maket and prelimary findings have not been good for growers. This had been confirmed when talking to a local dairy farmer who declared that she had stopped picking up waste veg form the mart. due fears that it may not be good for her cows. Perhaps Jumla's unique selling point of Organic provenance will overcome transport issues and push the districts potatoes, apples and rice onto these expanding markets, after all.