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Growing certified organic produce in India, inherent challenges
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Saturday, 07 December, 2019, 13 : 00 PM [IST]
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Karan Singh Tomar
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In today’s day and age when science is making newer headways in fighting diseases never heard before, which are believed to be a culmination of our own very lifestyle a major chunk of which includes our food intake, as generation on generation we have moved away from our eating patterns we now stand a chance to face its larger consequences which is spreading at an alarming rate.
There have been many challenges the organic food industry has faced and still continues to face, some of which have been overcome with innovative solutions, with some there is still a struggle to overcome and while some others are still far from overcoming. The initial basic hurdle is there is lack of awareness about organic farming which also was visible in government’s inability to make firm policies which could promote organic farming.
Knowledge about use of bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides is lacking along with lack of willingness to use the same. In some cases, the challenges are far more deep-rooted for instance - as farming in a state like Rajasthan and other belts, where there has long been a taboo in villages where women folk could venture out to work to earn livelihood.
Major challenge
The major challenge is to ensure they are encouraged to come forward to work, enhance their socio-economic strata which would also enable them to learn a skill with regular training programmes implemented by state and Central government to empower them.
Including a women in the process is the first step to help the organic revolution succeed. These women who work in farms as daily wage labourers, and in different manufacturing units have instilled in them a sense of confidence to come forward and help their own growth and eventually the country’s larger growth goals.
Marketing of produce
The other challenge that most in the business have been facing is with respect to marketing of organic farm produce which has not been able to still gain 100% confidence throughout the country there are still many people who are never entirely convinced as there is dearth of knowledge about organic food itself in the country.
Therefore, most of the raw materials used for manufacturing the organic product line is sourced from organic farmers clusters who are well-equipped with knowledge on how to grow a particular crop organically and selling it directly to organic product manufacturers who use these raw materials, eliminating any intermediaries in the process, ensuring the farmers get their due. But the challenge has been these clusters are relatively small despite efforts at larger level and spreading awareness.
Another major looming problem is that even experts and well-informed farmers are not sure whether all the nutrients with the required quantities can be made available by the organic materials. Even if this problem can be surmounted, they are of the view that the available organic matter is not simply enough to meet the requirements. There has been also a larger problem with regards to inadequate supporting infrastructure as there are only four agencies for accreditations and their expertise is limited to fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea and spices. These certification agencies are inadequate with respect to other product variants, though the government has been trying to fill the gap but it is still far from realisation.
Meanwhile, organic cultivation has higher input costs which is not easily affordable by small and marginal farmers who are trying to cultivate their small farms organically by using traditional farming practices and conserving resources but the cost of cultivating organic crop on a large-scale is an expensive affair for them. Adding to this is another problem of lower yield as the land also requires restoration of full biological activity for organic farming to sustain which in some cases can even take upto certain years.
Major drawback
There is also a major gap with regards to providing widespread knowledge and skill among farmers, with respect to organic farming. This has been a major drawback for the farmers who are as it is struggling to produce and sustain their livelihood in the long run. Developing own organic farming clusters where small and marginal farmers can be trained and train others too can help in spreading the knowledge and also optimise their financial gains by directly making their produce available to the vendors and manufacturers who require them. We need to encourage and help them to actively take to organic farming which will benefit them in the long run and is safe for also consumption even by them and the larger population. Their direct selling the produce to them who need it will eliminate the middlemen who are usually responsible for not giving the farmer what he rightly deserves in the first place.
Sustainable use
There also need to be honest efforts put in the methods deployed for organic farming where renewable resources need to be used sustainably and judiciously like using drip irrigation in the farms, reusage of used water in the farms for cultivation and use of organic manure where is made of dung and farm waste as a compost among other things.
The challenges are many but, in my opinion, the resolute towards ones’ vision has to be stronger to overcome any of it. Of late there is at least the beginning of widespread awareness world over for eating healthy and organic food which could be a key to altering our current lifestyle and living well while on the other hand, there is also a cry to save the world from larger consequences of climate change which also again motivates people world over to go back to organic farming as was being done from ages to conserve resources we have left and leave this planet a somewhat better place for future generations to come. I feel the time has finally come for us to make a life-altering change which is much required as per the hour, we need to preserve our planet and its precious resources before they deplete.
(The author is co-founder and director, Nutriorg)
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