The Fragrance of Sweat
Story of a market that breeds condiments
Mohmmed Moochewala travelled two hundred kilometers from Limbdi along with three of his farm colleagues to sell his produce in arguably world’s largest condiments market yard, Unjha, in western Indian state of Gujarat. Almost fatigued, he is not a happy man, at least from what I can guess. When I met him at the market yard early in the morning at an auction yard, immediately after introduction, he gazed to the fan hook above and gestured to me with his left hand on his neck. “This is the only option left,” he told me with a desperate look.
He was referring to thousands of farmers committing suicide by hanging themselves not able to recover the investment they put in their farm. The ROI in Indian farms is estimated to be negative for the last six decades and yet farmers continue to feed the nation of a billion plus.
He and his friends Salim Bhayani, Mehmood Bhayani and Rafique put in a chorus to tell me he got Rs 1650 per sack of 55 Kilogram of Cumin Seed he has brought to the market. They expected around Rs 1850. Lower bargain by Rs 200 means they will be hard pressed to return back the money they borrowed from the local money lender at a whopping 36% annual compounded interest rate. “I have the option to delay this deal and wait for the prices to come up. But I don’t think it is going to happen in near future. A good riddance,” he sounded frightened. This season Cumin Seeds production is estimated to overtake demand. A typical mindset of farmers is to shift crops depending on the price movements.
Farmers such as Mohmmed will now sow Cilium Husk instead of Cumin Seed this season as it has given good returns. But the next year this vicious circle will repeat and the debt will continue to grow. With no planning and information on what to plan for the coming year, farmers are on the lookout for help. But there is none to help. They take decision based on their inner conscience and decades and generations of experience. But with no scientific data to back up and very little education among the marginal land owners – who forms majority of the farmers – they are left to fend for themselves.
I was at the Unjha yard for this very purpose. To know, understand and solve a major problem for one of the services that we offer on agri commodities. To talk to farmers and traders and see if they have a real life problem in information and the gap they face every season.
I woke up at 3 AM and got into the taxi at 4 and reached the Market at 5 travelling 100 kilometers of virtually vehicle free road. Since the market operated round the clock, round the year except for public holidays, I was keen to see and meet people who come from far and wide.
Rajubhai Patel from Kadvasan village has subscribed to many text messaging services which he says he has no idea of its origin. He showed me his mobile gifted by his son – a Moto E – and I glanced through the messages through the scratched surface with unlit display. Thunderstorm today, one of the messages in Gujarati read. “Do you see any clouds? I have my own calculation and do not depend on these services which are far from reality,” he told me and shooed me away when I asked if I could give him a better service if he helps me address some basic issues in making algorithm for it.
He has brought in a truck load of Cumin Seeds and is busy negotiating with the Commission Agent on the quality of the material. But Commission Agents are smart. They are laboratories unto themselves. They use their instincts, smell, colour and atmosphere to test a product. And it matches cent percent with a lab test.
Market arrival depends on the cash needs of producers. If they need urgent money, their produce is their ATM. The Marketing Yard Chairman, Gaurang Patel told me the system is so transparent that there are virtually no issues in any dealings. The farmer brings their produce to the Commission Agents who have their shops – numbering around a thousand – and an official auctioneer is dispatched at 9 AM to shops and he is followed by open cry buyers. Another official takes note of who has bought from which agent and the farmer is paid cash immediately. All he has to bear is the labour cost in unloading his produce. Commission and other cost will have to be borne by the buyer.
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The APMC Unjha Chairman, Gaurang Patel is a towering personality in and around Unjha. You can see his pictures at the highway, at the foot bridge, at the over bridge, Railway bridge and virtually all bill boards either sponsoring an event or just congratulating the Indian Prime Minister. His father, Naranbhai Patel was the Chairman for 17 years and after him the son took over and has been the Chairman since the last 4 years. Both father and son are approachable and media friendly. It was at the effort of the father-son duo that Cumin Seeds in the markets doesn’t attract VAT.
I barged into his cabin after removing the shoes outside. It is a culture in Gujarat to ask visitors to get the shoes out just as you do in a religious place. I believe this could be because office is as pure as a temple or Church. But what is intriguing is the kind of unwashed and dirty socks which is allowed with impunity. It takes with it billions of bacteria from various places across the globe. Inside the modern chamber of the Chairman, the air conditioners were set to get even Eskimos shiver. A half cup coffee was served within seconds. I had to ask him if the coffee was meant for me or someone else. The cool ACs converted the hot cuppa into a cold coffee within seconds. And it took a micro second for me to gulp it up.
He welcomed me as if I came with a prior appointment. This is something I love from politicians and wannabe ones. They welcome everyone unlike the bureaucrats and custodians of babudom who needs private secretaries to shoo visitors out. When the father vacated the seat to become the MLA from Unjha, the heir apparent took it over. They come from a party which is opposed to dynasty politics, of course.
The last time I visited Unjha was almost 3 years back and the market has grown by the number of participants manifold. Because of space constraints, Patel told me, they are not able to include more commodities other than Cumin Seed, Mustard, Cilium Husk and Fennel.
This is because Unjha and its periphery produce no commodities that are auctioned here. The market was established in 1954 at Unjha because the soil and climate here was conducive to Cumin Seeds and its cousin condiments. But gradually this expanded to other regions as far as Saurashtra and Rajasthan – 200 to 300 kilometers away but the market prospered and remained grounded at Unjha. A reason, why Mohmmed travels 200 kilometers from Limbdi, though there are enough APMCs near his village. Thousands of farmers like him bring seven million kilograms of produce every day resulting in a total turnover of 1.5 million USD annually. That is humongous proportions. You may wonder where these condiments vanish within no time.
A canteen provides meals at subsidized rate of half a Dollar. Yes, a full meal including butter milk. 4500 meals are served every day here during season and 2000 during off season. But one conscious decision that APMC has kept itself away is mechanization.
A large number of labourers still use the old method of unpacking the sacks and the packing them off after the auction traditionally. No machines are used anywhere. This has resulted in thousands of labour force from all over the country to find jobs here.
By the time auction got started, I started a conversation with Chinmay Patel, a fourth generation trader of spices. Originally trained as chef in Sydney, he came back to take over the export business from his father who moved to real estate. His deputy Vijay Joshi was the first link I called up in the morning to wake him up and give him the news that I have arrived in the market. Sort of warning bell that he should fulfill his commitment of meeting me as he promised previous day.
Having reached early in the morning, I had no option but to find out a breakfast joint nearby. But Gujarat is not known for its breakfast culture. I ventured into highway and found a place. Had a Kanda Poha but the hot green chilli was beyond me. The extra energetic cook had a glance at me before he went to the kitchen, a reason I believe he chose the hottest chilli. I came back to the market immediately. Almost everyone at the market arrived by now and auction time was about to begin.
Chinmay’s export is completely dependent on Chinese demand. He says China consumes Cumin Seeds mainly for their barbeques and this trend is on the rise. The other two Cumin Seed producing nations – Syria and Turkey – are embroiled in civil wars. Even otherwise, the high quality Cumin from these regions are consumed by the US and EU leaving China with the second best quality from India.
One lesson I learnt from the visit is that markets do not have a definite figures. Everything is in a range. Figures are always average. Prices are always approximate. The atmosphere, though, is electric. Though there is transparency, there is no technology. Everyone who visits this market takes out with them great aroma. The aroma that originates not from the condiments, but from the sweat of farmers. But I am still in search of answers to my unfinished set of questions that each farmer skipped while narrating their own miseries. Clueless, I have to return to market again.
