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Chitra Phadnis

The Government too has no machinery to promote organic farming. In addition, pesticide companies, fertiliser companies and seed companies have a vested interest in not promoting organic cultivation.

BANGALORE, Dec 29

THE Bangalore-based Association for Promotion of Organic Farming (APOF) is planning to call a meeting next week of representatives of supermarkets and retailers who are willing to stock and sell organic produce.

Both consumers and farmers are willing to try organic produce, but there is no agency to link the two, according to Dr G.K. Veeresh, founder-President of APOF and former Vice-Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS). Consumers wanted a consistent supply while growers wanted an assured market and a linking agency could provide this, he said.

So far, APOF has kept away from marketing activities. It is made up of 150 voluntary members, and the association is not exactly flush with funds. It restricts itself to creating awareness, inspecting and certifying farms as organic.

In Karnataka, organic cultivation was "negligible", Dr Veeresh said. There have been some NGOs and individuals buying organic produce from contract farmers, but no sustained movement to promote the method. "There is no regulated market for organic produce. If it doesn't sell, it is sold along with the other produce at ordinary rates, there is no value attached to it."

APOF is trying to build awareness and make it a larger movement.

One of the tasks on hand is to educate growers about what constitutes organic farming. Around 60 per cent of farmers were not using fertilisers and pesticides any way, but that would not make for organic farming, Dr Veeresh said. "It involves preparing the soil. It is a philosophy that looks at using no external inputs; everything has to come from within the farm itself. Just putting farmyard waste into a pit cannot create organic manure, it has to be scientifically composted," he said.

If organic farming is attractive today, it was more because of economic considerations, Dr Veeresh said. Input costs are lower and farmers are willing to take the risk of lower yields.

"In the first year, there is a drop of 50 per cent, in the second year, there is a 25 per cent reduction in yield and only in the third year, it is on par with conventional farming," Dr Veeresh said. With most farmers living from hand to mouth, it is difficult to expect them to take to organic cultivation easily.

The Government too has no machinery to promote organic farming. In addition, pesticide companies, fertiliser companies and seed companies have a vested interest in not promoting organic cultivation. Organic farming recommends that the farmer keep aside seeds from his production for sowing the next year.

"Hybrid seeds are designed to respond to fertilisers and pesticides and when these are not used, the yields are the same as any other seeds," Dr Veeresh explained.

The export market for organic produce is more evolved. The EU, Australia and US markets are willing to give premium of 20-25 per cent on organic produce.

However, the export markets are also very stringent. For instance, Japan recently blacklisted a supplier of minor millet (ragi) for using second hand gunnybags.

"Fifty years back, extension workers went around trying to get farmers to use fertilisers. Farmers were sceptical and wondered if the "uppu" (salt) would burn up their crop. Today, it is a reverse revolution," Dr Veeresh said.

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