The Hindu Business Line : Kochi agency efforts to develop organic farming

JAIVA (Joint Agency for Innovations in Vegetative Action), a Kochi-based society has initiated steps to create awareness among the farming community to develop organic farming and allied industries in the State.

Mr John Joseph, President of JAIVA, told Business Line that the society would insist the Governments to formulate policies and programmes that would protect the interests of organic farmers. The objective of the society is to develop a mechanism to realise maximum value for organic produce and also create awareness among consumers about organic products.

Mr Joseph said the growth of organic farming by the initiative of farmers would be very slow as they were apprehensive of the results of farming without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Moreover, they have a fear about proper market and premium price of their produce. An immediate solution to this problem is to attract investors to invest in organic farming, considering it a profitable investment, he said.

India, he said, has great opportunities in the area of organic farming as several European countries and the US have started looking at Asian countries for their organic produce requirements. This includes industrial ventures in natural textiles, natural leather goods, natural cosmetics, essential oils, natural detergents and wood furniture.

Kerala has the greatest possibility in organic farming due to favourable soil, water, environment and a literate population, said Mr Joseph.

However, the layman's understanding of organic farming is rather narrow. It is confined to organic vegetables, organic agricultural produce and organic manure. Allied industries have tremendous potential in the developed countries, he said.

For the promotion of organic farming in the State, Mr Joseph said the society had formed a joint stock company called Holistic Agro Solutions (India) Ltd with an investment of Rs 70 lakh to develop organic farms. Currently, it has three projects including cardamom and vanilla plantations in Udumpanchola in Idukki and an organic manure plant at Eramallur to produce organic manure from coir pith with technical support from Coir Board.

The society had also initiated a project of distributing organic milk by setting up an organic farm cum dairy in a 4-acre leased land in Malayidamthuruth, near Kochi. The milk sale, which started at 60 litres a day, has gone up to 500 litres with a cost of Rs 20 a litre.