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    Eating Fresh at the Haryaali Farmers Market

    Written by: Eeman Amjad
    Posted on: April 29, 2015 |

    Haryaali Farmers Market Lahore

    Lahore, the city of food lovers and connoisseurs, has recently taken to the trend of eating healthy and organic. Once every month, the Haryaali Farmers Market is set up to cater to the health-conscious foodies in the city. The tagline for the market, ‘Eat Fresh’, perfectly encapsulates their mission of bringing to the fore producers of whole foods, organic vegetables, fruits, grains, hormone-free dairy products…..together in one venue on a regular basis”.

    Haryaali Farmers Market Lahore

    Last month, the Haryaali Farmers Market was organized at the Lahore Grande on Upper Mall. Live food stations, consisting of various food chains, bubble tea stalls, as well as home-made burgers and barbeque, were set up outside the hall. While the aroma of grilled food outside was tantalizing enough to stop visitors in their track, a catholic spread of organic vegetables, home-baked goods and hand-made soaps trickled outdoors from inside the hall.

    Inside, the hall was packed with eager customers carrying cloth bags that were filled with organic and home-made goods. At the front of the hall, a row of baked goods that included cupcakes, chocolate pizzas, and cakes from places such as Cupcake Shoppe and Sinfully Sweet were being sold. These had mostly been set up by small-scale enterprises consisting of young bakers hoping to branch out to the mainstream market. There was also a variety of homemade organic breads from bakeries such as Crumbs and Roshni, which offered 100% whole-wheat honey bread, cheese bread, Nutella bread, low-fat and low-sugar muffins, as well as low-fat chocolate brownies, energy bars and local cereal. In addition to baked goods, pure natural honey, local dry fruits, spices, locally produced cheese and organic eggs were also available.

    Haryaali Farmers Market Lahore

    The items being sold extended beyond food products to local screen print designs, homemade paper, bags and notebooks. These included a stall by Parwana, a small paper company based in Lahore that produces and sells eco-friendly paper products, such as handmade and recycled wedding cards, gift boxes, diaries, notebooks and other stationery items. Prisms and Paintbrushes by Sadia Gilani was another stall that provided creative and original local stationery that may be customized for potential clients. Lahore Ink is yet another small design screen clothing line that is featured every month at the Farmers Market. However, a huge fad that has caught on in the city is natural handmade cosmetics, soaps, hair oils and bath products, sold by local body shops such as Marjees, offering a much healthier alternative to the chemically infused commercial shampoos and soaps.

    Haryaali Farmers Market Lahore

    The purpose of this endeavour is to bring together individuals who are not only zealous about living healthy, but who also feel passionately about local farming and a sustainable environment. The Haryaali Farmers Market, in its size and variety, is a highly commendable innovation in the local food industry that provides a space for home-grown products as well as small-scale local enterprises.

    All images taken from the ‘Haryaali Farmers Market’ Facebook page


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021