To market, to market to buy all that’s good
View(s):Every Thursday the Diyatha Uyana market is abuzz with organic food and other local products on sale
By Duvindi Illankoon
Stroll in through the Water’s Edge entrance at Battaramulla on a Thursday evening- and you’ll find a scene straight off a postcard. The newly-built Diyatha Uyana market stalls and walking area is packed with bustling vendors and customers. This is the ‘Good Market’ where every single item available is organic.
Opened just three weeks ago, the Good Market is an initiative by a group of volunteers tired of the ‘poison’ available in regular shops and supermarkets.
Opened three weeks ago: A variety of items from organic veggies to handloom products. Pix by Mangala Weerasekera
“We had been toying with the idea for quite some time,” says Amanda Kiessel, one of the founders of the Good Market. “There was a market gap and a lot of people were very keen on the idea, but we were struggling with a location. Then a colleague suggested we speak to the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Urban Development who were involved in a lot of development work in the city. They were very much enthusiastic about the initiative, and everything else just took root from there!”
With 35 vendors selling their wares at present, the Good Market is clearly thriving, despite the relatively higher prices of goods. Perhaps the variety of items on offer has something to do with this-from veggies to handloom to prepared food and children’s toys. Popular upmarket Colombo favourites like the Milk & Honey Cafe sell their wares alongside home-grown producers like the Three Star Organic Farm, and fair-trade vendors like Sarvodaya Woodworks.
“The sales are excellent,” enthuses Janaki Balasooriya whose Three Star Organic Farm sells everything from packaged greens to sinfully delicious fried mushrooms and various juices. “We’ve had a constant flow of customers and they’ve all been very enthusiastic about what we do.” Janaki started out a few years ago selling packaged greens to supermarkets but felt she was compromising on her customers’ health without even realising it.
“We just buy whatever we see on the market for a fair price but we don’t think about the story behind it. So many chemicals are used to produce these greens and they’re very harmful to you. So I made the decision to switch to organic and it’s the best thing I’ve done for this business,” she smiles.
Like Janaki’s, all the products at Good Market are organic and fair-trade, which means that they have been produced without the use of chemicals and/or have been obtained through fair trading practices. The Good Market certifies this, by the use of a points system that tells customers which level of organic production the vendor has achieved.
“It’s also our way of encouraging producers to develop their practices to a higher standard,” says Anushka Wijesinghe, who also spearheaded the initiative with Amanda and a few others. “For example we have vendors who sell vegetables that are completely organic but they come in a polythene casing. With the points system-which is displayed in front of every stall-we encourage them to stop such practices and achieve a higher standard.”
Sikander Sabeer encourages customers to bring their recyclable garbage- and pays them for it! “When they come to the stall we try to explain to them where this garbage will go, and what they can do to minimise their harmful contribution to the environment,” he says. “It’s a fantastic initiative taken by the organisers. People come over to have fun and buy goods, but they inadvertently learn more about the environment and the climate as well.”
For the vendors themselves, the experience of meeting customers face to face is satisfying. The rent they pay for the stall space is more than worth it, they say. Many are large scale export manufacturers, scattered among small scale local producers from far away. “When you produce for the market you don’t often meet your customer,” says Janaki.
“But being a part of this initiative helps us to directly meet with the average consumer who buys and uses our product. I’ve already got several orders-in just two weeks!”
Customers themselves are enthusiastic about the new venture. “I came here last week and I’m here again because it’s a very nice way to unwind,” says Saara, here with her little daughter. “It’s a very busy market but you can still buy something to eat and sit down on a bench and watch the world go by.” The organisers are hoping to introduce live entertainment soon, to satisfy customers like Saara hoping to get something more than a good bargain out of the experience.
Right now they’re looking at expanding the Good Market in Colombo, but soon hope to move into outstation areas. “We’re seeing a very good response to the overall Good Market atmosphere here, and it says that Sri Lanka is ready for organic,” says a confident organiser. “It’s not fair that only Colombo benefits from this initiative so we will move into other areas like Kandy and Galle as well. But for now, we’re going to watch this space and see how it grows.”
The Good Market is on every Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. at the Diyatha Uyana market stalls at Water’s Edge in Battaramulla. If you’re a young person who’d like to volunteer at the Good Market, there’s a space open for you. Vendors will pay you a small amount to help them out and you’ll earn some handy business experience out of it, say the organisers. If your enterprise would like a slot at the Good Market, then write to Amanda on amanda@sewalanka.org and visit the Good Market Colombo page on Facebook for more information.
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