If you are wont to frequenting Delhi’s five-star hotels, chances are your palate has developed a fond familiarity with exotic fare like broccoli, iceberg lettuce, snow peas, sweet pepper, celery, parsley, basil and asparagus. What may be unfamiliar is the fact that these vegetables and herbs have their origin in the humble hills of Himachal Pradesh, where they have been grown since early 1990s.

Last year, the supply was in danger of drying up because the farmers—tired of their profits being usurped by middlemen—were on the verge of switching back to traditional crops. Today, the hinterland of Karsog valley in Mandi district, 100 km from Shimla, is in the middle of a revolution.

Nearly 350 farmers from 40 villages of Churag and Pangana in Karsog—responsible for initiating the exotic vegetable trend—have set up a cooperative, the Karsog Valley Farmers Society. Comprising growers and marketing people, the society is ready to hit the markets in big cities with its own network and the Northharvest brand. The list of potential buyers in Delhi is in, the seeds for the next season have been sowed, and the farmers are looking to buy a refrigerated van for transporting the produce.

“I lost Rs 30,000 last year and Rs 10,000 in 2006 when the middlemen refused to pay back saying that my stock of vegetables went bad in transit,” says Ghanshyam of Mahunag village in Karsog, who lost 20-30 per cent of his earnings each year in the past four years.

He is not the only one. Khemraj, Diwan Chand, Mohan Lal, Vipin Bansal, among the 60 farmers participating in a camp at Mahunag, have similar stories to narrate. The camps are being organised by Vikarm Rawat, a manager in the local branch of Gramin Bank, and former IT expert Rajender Kaushal to help mobilise the farmers.

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