The site of the headload women vegetable vendors sitting outside central market not bothering about the heat, wind and rain certainly cannot escape the eyes of anyone who has visited the bustling central market. These women have been eking out a living sitting outside the market like lesser human beings, hoping for better days. While all authorities turned a deaf ear to their pleas for a roof over their head, Rachana from Mangalore is endeavouring to help these women vendors. The Association has been contemplating to act as an interface between these small scale vegetable growers cum vendors and the market.
Rachana President Marcel Monteiro speaking to Deccan Herald informed that he has a simple solution to the great problems faced by these women vendors.
He said that Rachana, as the first phase of its plan will meet the Deputy Commissioner and request him to allot places to put up platforms exactly in the HOPCOMS model. If the DC does not provide these facilities, then the association is all set to hire vehicles and identify the pick up points and collect the vegetables grown by these vendors and rent out places which can act as the platforms to sell these vegetables.
He says that the basic point behind such a venture is to see to it that these women vendors earn a decent amount for the vegetables they grow in their courtyard and come all the way to the city to sell those handful of vegetables that they grow.
“We intend to hire vehicles and identify collection points in the regions where women are residing. Our vehicles will go to the point and collect the vegetables and sell them in the city. It serves two purposes, firstly these women need not come to the city and sit here throughout the day. They could utilise the time for some other purpose and secondly they would get a fair price for their produce,” says Mr Monteiro.
Mr Monteiro says that since most of the vendors are from Bajpe region, the collection points will be at Neermarga, B C Road and Bajpe.
Plans to export  vegetables
In the second phase of the project, the vegetables will be exported to Dubai and in this regard talks have been held with Canara Entrepreneurs Association, Dubai. 
He says that Mr James Mendonca and Mr Ivan Fernandes of the Association are very keen in exporting the agricultural produce there.
Mr Monteiro says that since large number of Mangaloreans are settled in the Middle East, they often feel nostalgic about the fact that they are deprived of the typical Mangaloreans fruits, vegetables and flowers in their second home.
In this regard, Mangalorean fruits like jackfruits, mangoes, brinda, ice apples, vegetables like breadfruit, local spinach etc and flowers like jasmine, orchids and anthurium will be exported to Dubai.
“The project of exports will take off as soon as the Bajpe airport is ready for cargo and the cargo complex gets ready there. The first phase of the project will be started soon as the DC is busy with the election works right now,” he added.
If the two phases of the project take off, then the problems of the women vegetable vendors sitting outside central market will be solved to a large extent and at the same time the Mangaloreans settled in Dubai will get a chance to relive the joy of Mangalore overseas.