The Hindu Business Line : NGO plans travelling organic bazaar in Thiruvananthapuram

IT was little over a year ago that Thanal, a Thiruvananthapuram-based non-Governmental organisation (NGO), held its first organic bazaar in the city. Since then, the monthly market has generated so much of demand that some items such as organic honey, jaggery and vegetables are often sold-out within minutes of the bazaar opening, says Mr C. Jayakumar, Director, Thanal.

There is a demand for reasonably priced organic products whose organic integrity is assured, he says. In fact, many consumers now want the organisation to set up a permanent outlet to sell organic produce, he adds.

While no final decision has been taken on setting up an outlet, the NGO has decided to start a travelling organic bazaar in addition to the regular bazaar it organises on the second Saturday of every month.

The travelling bazaar, which will also be held once a month, will visit a different locality in the city every time, says Mr Jayakumar. The idea is to use the travelling bazaar to spread awareness about organic products and organic farming, he adds.

And it's not just the consumers who have been attracted to the organic bazaar, says Ms Chandni Krishnan, Alternate Market Initiator, Thanal. Over the past several months, the bazaar's list of suppliers has grown, she explains.

"For our first bazaar, we had only three farmers supplying organic produce. Today, we have over 45 local farmers supplying organic fruits and vegetables to the bazaar," she adds.

Over the past few months, the NGO has also been able to develop a set of organic standards suited to the Kerala context, says Mr Jayakumar. The `Thanal organic standards' are inspired by the organic standards created by the Institute for Integrated Rural Development-Aurangabad, but are tailored to conditions in Kerala, he explains.

These standards were developed with the involvement of the farmers, he adds. Simultaneously, the NGO is also working on a project to revive traditional knowledge and practices. There is a lot of sense in what "we call grandmothers' wisdom and we are in danger of losing much of it," Mr Jayakumar emphasises. Therefore, as part of the organic bazaar project, the organisation is working on creating a repository of traditional knowledge, he adds.

The one aspect of the organic bazaar that causes some concern is its financial stability, he says. While Thanal currently provides some financial and administrative support for the conduct of the bazaar, the long-term objective is to enable it to operate without any external support, Mr Jayakumar explains.

A co-operative venture that involves both producers and consumers is possibly one way to achieve this, he says. "Perhaps in another year, this stability can be achieved," he adds.

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NGO plans travelling organic bazaar in Thiruvananthapuram