The Hindu Business Line : Dutch co working with AP tribal farmers to grow organic cotton

IN the backward Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh, tribal farmers are working with a multinational organisation to grow organic cotton, which could find its way into the making of globally popular brands.

Solidaridad ETC, a Netherlands-based environmental consultancy and fair trade company, which has developed the organic label `Made By' is the key player along with Basix, a micro-credit organisation, in this venture.

Solidaridad caters to well known brands such as Kuyichi, Marks & Spencer, Imps & Elf, Cora Kemperman etc. The State Department of Rural Development is facilitating the initiative.

The collaboration aims to create a farmers-owned co-operative on 3,500 acres with Gond tribals (one of the oldest tribals who inhabit parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) in Kerameri mandal of Adilabad district. In the course of the partnership, Organic Cotton Growers Association (OCGrA) of farmers would be created. Funds would be channelised through the Kerameri Mandal Samakhya.

According to a report of the Rural Development Ministry, efforts are already on to create an organic cotton pilot. Solidaridad ETC will provide the technical assistance, initial funding, access to cheaper credit, organic inputs and market linkages.

Basix will provide the integrated pest management (IPM) activities and other organic inputs, timely credit technical assistance for rotation crops etc.

Pilot studies have been conducted in three villages and some of the farmers given training in pre- and post-harvest technology and organic certification. Because of the intensive pesticides lobby one village was lost. However, 500 farmers working on 1,000 acres practised IPM with the intervention of Basix. Organic cotton thus grown also fetched better return.

About 60 quintals were sold at the rate of Rs 2,055 a quintal, while the prevailing prices in the market were Rs 1,400 in Kerameri and Rs 1,600 in Adilabad, the report claimed.

Encouraged by these results, the acreage is being scaled up to 1,000 acres of organic cotton with Solidaridad ETC and 1,000 acres with Basix's IPM. The pilot project has generated considerable interest. From 1,000 acres during 2005-06, the target set was to reach 3,900 acres under organic cotton by 2007-08.

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