glimps of Azadpur mandi: Asia's largest fruit and vegetable market (wholesale)

1. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
Azadpur mandi is Asia's
largest wholesale market
for fruits and vegetables.
Every day thousands of
trucks bring fresh produce
to it from all over the
country, and the annual
arrivals amount to millions
of tonnes.

2. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
Feels out of date with the
rest of the city but it still is
the most important link in
Delhi's food chain, and its
mammoth operations are
absolutely awesome.
It receives and distributes
millions of tonnes of fresh
produce with methods
that are arcane and seem
maddening to the first-
time visitor.

3. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
Transactions worth hundreds of
crores
"It's a round-the-clock mandi.
Auctions and transactions take
place even at night," says Rajeev
Bhatia, a thirdgeneration trader.
After an auction, a bill is
prepared to calculate the
payment due to farmers. "We
deduct charges for labour and
transport, and our commission
before sending the net amount
to farmers," trader says

4. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
Farmers bring their produce
to commission agents, who
auction it by calling out prices
quoted by potential buyers
around them. The
commission agent checks
with the farmer before
handing over the produce to
the highest bidder.
If the deal goes through, the
farmer pays 6% of the final
rate to the commission
agent.

5. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
Commission agents (middlemen)
try to get the 'best price'. They
don't bid loudly. Instead, they
communicate with buyers in
code, by touching hands under a
handkerchief. This way, the price
changes with every buyer. It's an
old-fashioned way, and illegal
too, but that's how most deals
are struck at the mandi.
"There are many buyers who bid
high but never pay on time. We
follow this 'underhand' rule for
auctioning to keep them away,"
an auctioneer.

6. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
ice setting: Agricultural
Produce Market Committee
(APMC) staff monitors the
auctions in each shed and
notes the final price for each
commodity. It then lists the
day's 'model rate' for every
commodity
Revenue stream: APMC runs
on the market fee deposited
by traders. It charges 1% of
the sale value of every
transaction. Last year it raised
Rs 67 crore

7. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
Thousands of local vendors
gather at the mandi to buy
produce from the
middlemen.
"Vendors have to come here
to buy vegetables. Some also
head to the Okhla and
Ghazipur markets to buy
produce but most come here
at the crack of dawn to be
able to sell in their areas
early in the morning," says
Sunil Bhatia, who works with
Rajiv.

8. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
The Azadpur mandi never
sleeps or slows down. It is
kept alive and active by the
thousands of labourers, also
known as palledars, who
work in shifts.
They live in godowns and
offices. Most labourers at the
mandi are from UP and Bihar.

9. Azadpur Mandi: Asia's largest wholesale market
Handling and sorting the
produce is labour-intense
work and large numbers of
labourers (palledar) are
employed at the mandi.
"The trader has to like the
vegetables. They have to be
shiny clean. My job is to
select the better looking
onions and put them in the
sack. I also cook for the
middlemen who work here.
They pay me about Rs 3,000
for everything," a native of
Bihar.