AALP Class 14 International Study Tour - Friday March 1, 2013

Another bright,sunny day today in Delhi. AALP Class 14 has really enjoyed their trip to India but many are looking forward to heading back home to family & friends. A trip to the food market is first order of the day. First impression was primitive & more garbage laying around. Hira Singh Wholesale Vegetable Market is one of four fruit & vegetable markets in Delhi. After going through the tight security at the Ontario Food Terminal, Toronto & Hunts Point Food Market in New York, the lack of security was quite evident. Quite the contrast to our North American tours considering the security we had to go thru to check in at a local hotel or mall in India. Plus the hygiene conditions amplified the contrast between North America & India. Monkeys & cows were roaming around randomly. A few booths were burning incense to either keep the bugs away or make a sacrifice to their god of food safety. Majority of the produce came from within India. We did see a lot of apples from China & the state of Washington, US and kiwi from Italy. Booth space is purchased through the association. The location was allocated by the government as a food market after the previous location was deemed unsuitable for the fruit & vegetable market.

There were only men around the market doing the trading & wholesaling. Wives were at home tending to the home duties. The market is divided into two sections - one for fruit & one for vegetables. An example of pricing, we found that one kilogram of basil was 120 rupees or approximately $2.40.

Our next stop was one of the largest spice markets in India. After the bustle of the street we stepped into a spice and tea shop where we were greeted with a piece of cinnamon - a great ant-acid. Too bad we didn't have that earlier on the trip. India is the world's largest grower of many spices but due to consumption, they are also a huge importer of spices. One note of interest was residents of India generally buy spices individually and make their own blends. The owner of the shop also educated us on tea. There are four different times for harvesting tea each year with different results. Different flavours. Different maturity. Smaller (early in the growing season) is higher content & sweeter. As the season progresses, the tea becomes more bitter and less valued. Spring; summer; monsoon; and fall/autumn are the four seasons or times of harvest.

According to the shop owner, Orange Pekoe is a marketing gimmick for Darjeeling tea that is no longer relevant. White tea is the most beneficial in the world. Highest level of antioxidants. 4-500kg of white tea produced each year.

Before heading back to the hotel we were treated to a show by a snake charmer with a few of Class 14 getting involved. Afterwards a few classmates got henna tattooed on their hands.

Upon returning to the hotel, we got packed & ready for dinner at Park Baluci. Our final dinner in India where we thanked our guide, Harsh, for his advice and hospitality over the past 11 days.

For those who are planning on a trip to India, Harsh says if you plan to drive in India you need 3 things:

1) good brakes

2) good horn

3) good luck

And we would like to add that a good ‘little guy’ is also a ‘must have’ to successfully navigate the hustle and bustle of Indian traffic.

Now, on to the flight home.

Wayne Black, Wes Weins, Christina Mol - AALP Class 14 bloggers

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Tariffs In Key Markets Underscore Urgent Need For Action

Today, Pulse Canada released the following statement in response to India’s decision to impose a 30% tariff on pea imports. “While Canada’s pea export program to India got off to a good start this fall, the recently announced tariff will challenge future sales, and the impact will be felt across the industry. “Canada’s pulse industry needs progress from the federal government on removing tariffs that threaten our competitiveness and damage our global reputation. While the government may not be able to influence domestic policies in other markets, we do expect it to resolve issues within its control. “The Government of China has been clear that its 100% tariff on Canadian peas is a retaliatory measure and will require a negotiated solution. We are hopeful that meetings this week will mark a timely and important step toward a resolution that allows Canadian peas back into the Chinese market. “Canadian growers and exporters have worked for decades to build trusted relationships with c

SARM’s Huber wants Western concerns heard in Ottawa

The head of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities is wanting to see Western concerns addressed by the federal government. “We've been neglected for 10-plus years in western Canada, and Saskatchewan is in western Canada,” said Bill Huber, SARM president, to reporters following his morning address at the mid-term meetings in Regina. “And we've got an agriculture industry here that's struggling right now with tariffs and trade, and our farmers are really suffering because of the non-movement of grain, especially canola seed, to China. We've got one of our biggest trading partners just across the 49th parallel that we do have to do business with [the USA]. They're the closest and one of our largest trading partners. And we need to see those goods, livestock, beef, cattle, pigs, pork, those things continue to cross that border. So we need those exports.” Huber said it was also "disappointing to see that there's a $112 million decrease over the next year in agriculture spen

APAS expresses mixed feelings on Tuesday's federal budget

The President of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has mixed feelings about Tuesday's federal budget. Bill Prybylski, who farms in the Willowbrook area, was pleased to see that agriculture was actually mentioned in the budget. He says there were some positives in the budget, like investment in infrastructure, the reinstatement of the accelerated capital cost allowance, and red tape reduction. Prybylski was also pleased to see the permanent reversal of the Capital Gains tax increase. But he says the announced changes to AgriStability won't make a difference to most producers, dealing with canola, pea and pork tariffs. Prybylski notes budget details are still quite sparse, so there's more work to be done in studying the document. He's also worried about possible budget cuts to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which could affect agriculture research.

Ag in the 2025 federal budget

The House is expected to vote on the budget on Nov. 17

Statement from FVGC President, Marcus Janzen

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) President, Marcus Janzen, wishes to announce that Massimo Bergamini will begin a transition from his role as Executive Director as he moves toward retirement. The Board is grateful for his leadership and for the organizational achievements made during his tenure.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service