Organic rubber farming deepening roots in Kerala

KOCHI: Organic farming of rubber is slowly gaining traction in the state as an alternative to traditional methods using chemical fertilizers, said experts in this field. However, the spread of this method is much unorganized as individuals, rather than farmer groups, are implementing it driven by the long-term merits of the switchover.
“I know about 25 farmers who have opted organic farming,” said Mathew Sebastian, executive director of Aluva-based Indocert, a certification body accredited to the National Programme for Organic Production.
According to the supporters of organic farming, there is a significant reduction in farming costs in addition to higher yield. Kurian Varghese Myladoor from Muttom in Idukki district said he had experienced up to 25% increase in productivity while costs came down to one third of traditional farming costs. “If you use the conventional style, annual farming costs would be Rs 25,000 – Rs 30,000 per acre, where as it is only Rs 10,000 in organic farming,” said Myladoor who first tried organic cultivation in 2.5 acres of land and later scaled it up to 20 acres.
Bobby Issac, director of the Indian operations of Germany-based certification body, Lacon, also has noticed this growing trend among rubber farmers. “There are a number of farmers with a proactive thinking and innovative ideas turning towards organic rubber farming,” he said. However, a ready market for organic rubber-based products is absent in India, he noted. “Organic rubber-based products have good demand in the Europe, but this awareness is yet to catch up in India,” he added.

Organic farming grew 29 times in five years

Organic agriculture in the country has grown 29 times in the last five years, according to Tariq Anwar, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries. Worldwide, 35 million hectares of agricultural land is managed organically by almost 1.4 million providers.

“Eleven states have drafted policies for promotion of organic farming. Of them, four intend to go 11 per cent organic,” he added. In 2011-12, the country exported over 300 organic products under 19 categories, to the tune of Rs 839 crore, Anwar added. He was at the fifth edition of BioFach India 2013, an International Organic Trade Fair.

The minister further said farmers would be brought on a common platform under the already existing Savayawa Yojana which was aimed at encouraging organic farming. “We want to develop network groups so they can share their knowledge.”

At a micro level, networking would be done and federations formed. Also, a State-level federationswould be formed for easy communication. “We will also hold micro-level fairs in seven municipal corporations across the State,” he said.
Minister for Agriculture, Krishna Byre Gowda, said that to encourage pure organic farming, farmers had to be assured of a stable market — something possible only by organising micro-level organic produce fairs.

Gowda, who had earlier announced that the State would have 100 acres of land dedicated to organic farming to set a model for farmers, said that a network system for farmers would also be built.

At the fair, more than 45 stalls exhibiting various organic produce were set up. The stall by farmers from Nagaland was the centre of attraction. While many well-decorated and fully furnished stalls had a handful of visitors, the village hut-style stall set up by farmers from Northeast attracted many people.

Tomato trees

From the world’s hottest chilly to the sweetest pineapple, one could find it all at the stall. There were many surprises as well. For example, if one believed that tomatoes would not grow on trees, the stall was the right place to get the belief debunked.

“It grows at a height of seven feet,” explained Abea Mero, a farmer from Nagaland. Wild apples, the Naga garlic, spices of the east and a variety of tomatoes were on also display.

Organic bazaars come to small towns; farmers bypass middlemen

NEW DELHI: Organic food, fancied by the health-conscious metropolitan elite, is finding customers in smaller towns ranging from Aurangabad to Shantiniketan and Kanyakumari. Many farmers are selling organic vegetables in small towns at a relatively small premium over the chemical-laden vegetables, and are making money by bypassing middlemen.

In Aurangabad, dozens of farmers set up stalls for organic vegetables every Sunday for their regular buyers - not the expat in a Mercedes, but the local postman, schoolteacher, a manager of the nearby state-run bank and others.

Prices are up to 15% higher but business is brisk. "Our organic bazaar is for the common man. We feel that even a postman should be able to afford it," says Joy Daniel, who helps farmer set up their stalls in Aurangabad and is the director of the Institute for Integrated Rural Development (IIRD).

Farmers actively participate in three such weekly markets across the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. Farmers and NGOs working in the region attribute the success to late Alexander Daniel, founder of IIRD, who helped set up such markets successfully in places like Ambajogai in Beed district, Umra in Hingoli district and Jintur in Parbhani district.

For customers, such markets have many attractions including availability of many types of vegetables. "Consumers come here largely to buy vegetables like Diwali bhendi, allu leaves, hadhga flower, cherry tomato, native varieties of bottle gourd and chival leaves. You will not find them in any modern retail or local vendor store," says Daniel.

In Kolkata's Salt Lake and Dum Dum areas, government officials, executives and businessmen are regular clients of organic vegetables, says Srikant Mondal, who organises such markets twice a week. "We have a few clients from Delhi and in future we can think of tying up with Delhi's organic bazaar," he says. He also gets local Bengali buyers. "People coming to us tell us that prices of organic vegetables in Delhi and Mumbai are so high, that they have to think twice before making any purchase. This is not the case here even though I sell it 20% higher than market price," he says.

New tools help developing nations market organic products abroad

NEW DELHI: Organic farmers in developing countries like India will have greater access to world markets with the recently launched tools that would help ease trade in organic agriculture products, a UN body said.

With organic trade expanding at the rate of 15-20 per cent per year, the new tools - Equitool and International Requirements for Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB) - will help streamline acceptance of products that are traded internationally, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on it website.

Equitool is a guide to help decision-makers assess whether an organic production and processing standard applicable in one region of the world is equivalent, ie not identical but equally valid, to another organic standard. This tool facilitates trade while also safeguarding organic production according to local socio-economic and agro-ecological conditions, FAO said.

The second tool, IROCB is a minimum set of performance requirements for organic certification bodies that will enable import of products certified under foreign control systems.

According to FAO, more than 100 countries export certified organic products. But international organic trade is hindered by a multitude of standards, regulations and conformity assessment systems.

Noting on the current organic trade situation, the UN body said that products certified as organic under one system are not easily recognised as organic under another. This causes major headaches and costs for organic producers and exporters wishing to sell in different markets.

Organic Food Market in India Set for Incessant Growth

According to a recently published report by TechSci Research ‘India Organic Food Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2017’, the organic food market in India is expected to grow at the CAGR of around 19% during 2012-17. The growth in the market is also being contributed by the foray of several retail giants and online retailers in the Indian organic food market. Over the last few years, several players have started to offer organic food products through online channel. Some of the major online organic food retailers include: Farm2Kitchen, Big Basket, Best Organic etc.

Organic foods are produced through systematic farming methods that do not involve any usage of pesticides and harmful chemicals for production. India has around 4.2 Million hectares of land which is certified for organic farming. The emergence of organic farming is also creating a wide array of job opportunities. Increasing awareness towards nutritious and healthy food and changing lifestyle are surging the demand for organic food, particularly across the metro cities. Majority of the demand for organic food is being contributed by cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Pune.

The market is restrained by some factors such as a price conscious consumer base, extensive land available for farming which is not certified for organic farming etc. The certification for land to be considered fit for organic farming requires extensive documentation and is also an expensive and time consuming process.

The demand for organic food products is increasing in U.S., Europe and Japan. The health concerns in these countries are rising extensively; however, as a result of high cost of labor and less fertility of land, these countries rely on developing countries like India to meet their requirements for organic foods.

“The availability of different types of organic products, less dependency on chemical fertilizers, increasing government initiatives for promoting organic farming and increasing investments by corporate giants are likely to push the market for organic foods in India,” said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research a research based global management consulting firm.”

‘India Organic Food Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2017’ has evaluated the future growth potential of organic food market in India and provides statistics and information on market structure, industry behavior trends. The report includes organic food market projections and demand forecasting. The report is intended to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers to take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities available in organic food market in India.

‘62% of Delhi-NCR households prefer organic food’

Around 62 per cent of high-income households prefer organic food due to rising awareness, higher disposable income and easy availability in the markets of big cities, a study by Assocham says.

There has been a growth in the demand for organic products in metropolitan cities, especially fruits and vegetables, an increase of 95 per cent in the last five years.

The survey titled "Rising demand of organic products in metropolitan cities" is based on 1,500 lead retailers selling non-organic and organic products. In the survey, around 1,000 retailers cited that concerns for health and environment are the main reasons for customers purchasing organic products. Spending on organic products rose threefold in the last five years, Assocham study says.

The sale of organic food products was highest in Mumbai, where 65 per cent of those surveyed bought them, followed by Delhi-NCR (61%), Bangalore (58%), Ahmedabad (55%), Hyderabad (52%), Chandigarh (51%) and Indore (50%).

Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said, "Organic farming is one of the fastest growing industries in the last year, thanks to higher disposable incomes, rising health concerns have increased the demand for organic food."

Among the various types of food categories offering organic options, vegetables (68%), fruits (52%), pulses (51%), food grains (50%), milk (45%) and fruit juices (51%) are the most regularly purchased items by Indian consumers, Assocham said.

Most organic farmers in India are still in the transition phase and hence the products are expensive, the report said. Production costs are expected to reduce, making India one of the most important producers of organic food, Rawat said.

Organic fruits and vegetables are the most popular organic products. The average weekly expenditure on organic food is estimated at 50% of the weekly food budget, points out the survey.

With all the bad publicity and alarm generated by poor diet, junk food and rising levels of obesity, the boom in the organic sector is a welcome relief for the food industry, Rawat said.

Sikkim gets prestigious ‘Agriculture Leadership Award 2013’

Minister for Food Security Agriculture and Horticulture Cash Crop Development Department Mr. D.N Thakarpa handed over the “Agriculture Leadership Award 2013” to the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling at his official residence Mintokgang on September 21.

The Agriculture Leadership Award 2013 was received by Mr. Arbind Kumar, Resident Commissioner Sikkim House, New Delhi cum Secretary Forest, Environment, Wild Life Management Department on behalf of the State Government of Sikkim on 19th September during the Agriculture Leadership Award Summit at Hotel Taj, New Delhi.

The Chief Minister while receiving the award congratulated the Department and the farmers of State for bagging such honour to the state of Sikkim. At the same time the Chief Minister said that giving continuity and sustains the image of such an honour is a big challenge for the state.

In this regard he suggested the department to opt for capacity building, mass awareness and workshops with the participation of the public.

Giving stress on State Organic Mission the Chief Minister also suggested the department to go for off seasonal agricultural products in the state and informed of the government plans to go for a mission mode on off seasonal agricultural products after completing the target of Organic Mission.

It may be informed that the Agriculture Leadership Award has been established in the year 2008 by Agriculture Today Group comprising of eminent agricultural scientists and agriculture professionals.

The award was presented by Shri Banwari Lal Joshi, Governor of Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Mr Tarik Anwar State Minister for Agriculture, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, an internationally acclaimed Indian geneticist, Mr. Oscar Fernandes former Minister and host of other agriculture scientists.

Is organic too expensive?

We're all feeling the pinch so can we be persuaded to fork out for organic food?

Organic can be a hard sell, especially if you shop principally with your eyes and wallet. Is handing over your hard-earned cash for knobbly produce and smaller cuts of meat enticing? No. But these imperfections represent the USP of the organic system, an up-yours to high-input agribusiness using lashings of pesticides that help to provide buff non-organic fruit and veg (subject to ridiculous cosmetic grading) and clown-sized chops. Organic is really defined by what it doesn't contain and what hasn't been routinely sprayed on it - it attracts a price premium through the absence of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, et al.

In the UK 95% of a product's ingredients must come from organically produced plants and animals to be certified by a registered body. Organic hasn't been able to prove it is nutritionally superior (a 2009 Food Standards Agency report pooh-poohed this idea) and has even had its ecological worth questioned: researchers at Oxford university concluded that although organic crops are less polluting, leave better soil and support more wildlife (personally I would have thought you couldn't put a price on this) they are potentially more polluting per unit than non-organic.

Goodness. No wonder organic sales are on the slide here, and so is the amount of UK land being converted to organic (since 2008 it's fallen by 8.7%, to 656,000 hectares). But the Soil Association's 2013 organic market report shows that, since the start of the economic downturn, organic sales are up by 25% globally. So what does the rest of the world get that we don't? Or rather - what is it avoiding?
The answer, says the Organic Trade Board's upcoming report with the Pesticide Action Network, is "plate pesticides" - the traces of synthetic chemicals in a "balanced" diet, especially one rich in fruit and veg. Alarmingly, the report shows multiple pesticide residues have doubled, since 2003, to 46% of tested foods in 2011.

Among the substances discovered in bog-standard foodstuffs was the pesticide Chlorpyrifos, in some cases exceeding "safe" limits; DDT in 25% of fish and burger samples, and pesticides in 96% of flour tested, meaning there are residues in bread.

The results are shocking, but then non-organic producers are permitted to use 300 pesticides at any one time. But if, like me, you'd pay to avoid this and want actively to support the opposite system, then organic offers the simplest way, short of starting your own smallholding.

Pesticide-Free Organic Food Protects Vital Gut Bacteria

New research out of Australia highlights yet another reason why organic food is better for you than conventionally grown food. Although some scientists and food experts have long maintained that there is no nutritional difference between organic and non-organic foods, Dr. Mark Donohoe, a Sydney GP with a special interest in environmental medicine, claims they’re overlooking other important differences.

“Scientists have always said eating organic food is senseless and makes no difference as pesticides don’t harm humans,” Dr. Mark Donohoe told The Australian. “However, the pesticides kill certain species of gut bacteria, not us.”

That bit about pesticides not being harmful to humans is controversial at best, since exposure has been linked to a plethora of health issues. The current research, however, points out a very obvious effect of pesticide exposure.

Imbalances in beneficial gut bacteria have been shown to contribute to obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, and a host of other chronic health issues. If the bacteria isn’t happy, we’re not happy, and pesticides, which are slathered all over fruits, vegetables, grains, and more, make them very unhappy. ”A lot of what doctors see in their surgeries is just a consequence of altered bacteria playing up,” said Donohoe.

According to Donohoe’s research, a diet rich in pesticide-free organic foods is key to protecting gut bacteria and ensuring that it’s plentiful enough to do its job regulating our bowels.

Arsenic-Tainted Rice Safe to Eat, Says FDA

Arsenic levels found in rice products are safe to consume, says the FDA after conducting tests on 1,300 samples.

The FDA reviewed the rice samples after Consumer Reports found arsenic levels in many common food products including Rice Krispies and Gerber infant cereal and some less processed products too, reports Reuters. “The consumer watchdog group said some varieties of brown rice—including brands sold by Whole Foods Markets Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.—contained particularly significant levels of inorganic arsenic.” Consumer Reports urged the agency to conduct further testing after making the discovery in 2012.

Samples were tested from a variety of rice sources including whole brown rice and white rice, infant cereals, energy bars, cookies, pasta, pastries and even alcoholic beverages made with rice, but the FDA did not specify which brands were tested. On average, the inorganic arsenic, which is more dangerous than organic arsenic, ranged from 2.6 to 7.2 micrograms per serving of rice grains, according to Reuters. “Instant rice was at the low end of the range and brown rice came in at the high end.”

The low levels of arsenic don’t appear to pose any immediate health risks to consumers, the FDA concluded, but the agency is going to look at the effects of long-term exposure to arsenic

Organic veggies produced in Bihar on their way to Europe kitchens

Farmers of a village in Bihar’s Nalanda district are planning to go global. Potatoes, pumpkins, garlics, chillis and ladyfingers, among other vegetables, produced in Sohdih village are all set to make their way to kitchens in Europe.
The farmers are eyeing to export organic vegetables to Britain, France, Germany and other European Union countries after their village was awarded the prestigious C3 certificate by the Ecocert, France-based inspection and certification body.
The organic vegetable growers in this village are overjoyed as theirs is the first village in Bihar to obtain the fully organic status.