Kawsar Ali, a farmer from Meherpur, used to sell vegetables through a “bepari”, a middleman, at the local bazar. But he often got low prices while the “bepari” would make much more profits by simply selling those to traders in Dhaka.

Kawsar was happy yesterday selling his vegetables directly to Dhaka's buyers. A fair called Fresh Mart Weekend Farmers' Market gave him the opportunity.

The Incubation Centre for Enterprise (IICE) organised the fair at the capital's Motijheel T&T Colony.

"I sell pointed gourds to the bepari in Meherpur at Tk 25 a kg. Now here I am selling for Tk 30,” he said, adding that the surplus from his whole stock would be a large amount.

There were 19 stalls where vegetables from the country's south were on sale. Farmers from Meherpur, Jhenidah, Bagerhat, Chuadanga, Jessore, Narail, and Bhola took part.

The participants said they were selling fresh vegetables as no harmful pesticide was used.

Monirul Islam, a farmer from Narail, said, "I use the lamp technique wherein insects get attracted...and die in a bowl of water placed under the bulb in the vegetable field."

People from around the colony visited the market. They had both positive and negative responses to the prices.

Amirul Islam, a job holder, said the prices were relatively high, not any less than that in regular markets.

Farmer Monirul explained, "Since these vegetables are fresh, and we have added costs to make them free from poisonous pesticides…the price is relatively high but these are good for health."

With USAID funding and under its project, ACV, IICE organised the fair to help the south's farmers who were provided transportation costs.

Reazuddin Mosharaf, an organiser, said the platform was the first of its kind where farmers sold fresh vegetable and got fair prices. It is a small step and with government help, it might help on a wide scale, he opined.

He said the fair would be held every Friday and Saturday till December 10 at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh, Banani, and Uttara Friends Club.