A Village Market

A village market in our country is generally seen on the banks of a river or a canal, on both sides of a road or highway or the junction of roads and under the shade of a large banyan tree. The main reason and consideration for their existence at these sports is communication. Villagers from some nearby villages can easily come to village market.

The market sits everyday in the morning and continues till noon. Sellers of various local products are seated in groups at different spots in the open space occupying the largest area of the market. This is the most crowded and noisiest place where vegetables, fish, milk, rice potatoes, fouls, earthenware’s and so on are sold. Here are the greatest number of sellers and buyers in contrast with those at a good number of temporary sheds. The hutments house mainly the grocers and sellers of general household requirements including variety of pulses, onion, pepper, garlic, turmeric and spices. And there are a few permanent shops, which chiefly sell garments, sari, hard wares, enamelwares, electric wires, etc.

A village market is characterized markedly by local produce and things of daily use and things necessary for living. Haggling is a normal feature here. It is more or less a competitive market yet it cannot be similar to that of a town in respect of the numerity of buyers and sellers and cvailability in plenty of various products and goods and their prices.

A village market satisfies tolerably well the villagers; and makes possible their living in the villages. It is very useful as it provides them opportunities for selling and buying things of everyday use and things necessary for life. And village markets are a very important source of earning for them. They keep the rural economic dynamic, as they are the centers of local economic activities. They are also a meeting place for villagers friends and relatives and a place for greetings and news.

The advantages of the market described above are not enjoyed by the villagers of many remote and interior rural areas of our country. For they lack roads, even narrow lanes, rivers or canals. To go to market people have to walk a long distance along the isles of fields. The Gabua village market in Mirzapur Thana is a good example. Here permanent shope are almost nonexistent. There are a few poor hutments and only space with a big tree. As a result, though there is a large number of sellers and buyers there prevails market and prices of essentials soap, kerosene oil, fertilizer, diesel, etc. are high. And often essential things are not available at all. In dry season rural people of some villages do not even find fish. Sellers often have to sell their perishable things in particular at thrown away prices or leave them to rot. Producers and distributors of these necessary items cannot supply them in such a market for the want of communication facilities. And the very few sellers sell them at a high price.

This serious and difficult condition of the villages is due only to the absence of communication network. It is, therefore, incumbent upon government to connect on an emergency basis, by paved roads, a village with other villages, villages with unions with upazillas. Such action can only eradicate the plight of villagers and help reach other benefits of rural development to villagers of the 68000 villages of our country.