Mangalore: OPC initiative - Go Organic for healthy living

Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Dec 11: Organic is the catchphrase which has many takers these days in our country. Many stores are promoting organic products and customers are also slowly but steadily evincing keen interest in organic products. In other words the Organic concept is gaining momentum in our country much to the relief of environmentalists who swear by organic farming as it causes less hard to ground water and soil. There is increased consciousness among people about the health and the safety of the food they consume and hence the fad.

This is rightly so because various studies have established that organic foods contain more micronutrients that the conventionally grown foods and therefore are tastier and healthier. Though organic food products are available in Mangalore in malls and retail vegetable outlets for quite some time now, the concept has still not caught the fancy of people.

To bring into practice the vision of sustainable growth many organizations involving farmers, civil society groups and educational institutions dovetailed to constitute Organic Promoters Collective (OPC). The members of OPC, who vouch by organic products, have taken many initiatives to promote natural/organic farming and sustainable food production system. An important part of this initiative is to establish a direct link between growers and farmers and this has been facilitated through a month-long campaign in the city to create awareness about organic products and organic farming and also popularize organic products by introducing them to the people of Mangalore.

Spreading Awareness

The month-long campaign which began on November 14 and would go on till December 17 was started with the major objective of making these organic products available at the doorsteps of the people, which in turn would pave the way for a healthy society. As per this campaign a Volkswagon sponsored pickup van with organic farm products has been touring various localities of the city to enable people to buy these authentic organic products easily.

The campaign which is completing two weeks has gained good response from the people of Mangalore, says Rita Noronha, Convener of OPC. “People are aware about the goodness of organic products and as per the feedback we have received there have been many repeat buyers who bought products from our pickup van. They have also expressed satisfaction with the quality of the organic products as also the price which is quite reasonable”, Rita Noronha clarifies.

OPC is carrying on this month long campaign in collaboration with Horticulture Department of Government of Karnataka with support from Institute of Cultural Research and Action (ICRA), Bangalore. The Collective has got a big boost as the Cooperative Society of Women Vegetable Producers and Head-load Vendors of Mangalore has come forward to market/sell organic vegetables.

The OPC which started the initiative is working overtime to bring some semblance of discipline to its functioning so that it is able to sustain the momentum gained through the awareness campaign. As of now the OPC has been getting its products from local farmers and also from ICRA, which has link with more than 1000 small and marginal farmers in different parts of Karnataka. Products from different parts of the state are made available to the consumers during the month long campaign spearheaded by OPC.

Sadly, in Dakshina Kannada there aren’t many organic products because farmers were not able to market their products for reasonable rates. Prof Clement D Souza, one of the members of OPC says “it is unfortunate that the farmers producing organic produce are getting very less price for their products whereas the customers will have to pay through their nose for buying them. It is only the middlemen who make huge profits at the cost of the producers and customers. Though OPC we want to ensure a reasonable profit to the farmer and products at reasonable prices to the consumers”. Marketing the products was a big impediment for the farmers even if they wanted to shift to organic farming. Sensing this vacuum OPC decided to take up the cudgels and set up a sustainable marketing outlet for these products.

Carrying on the month long campaign smoothly is not easy. As of now OPC has been using the house of Prof Clement D Souza at Shivabhag, one of the OPC members as a dump yard for storing the products. Prof Clement has given his garages for storing the products arriving from different parts of the state. This is only a stop-gap arrangement and OPC members have pinned their hopes on good Samaritans to bail them out of the situation. Rita Noronha says if anybody comes forward to lend their unused or locked house in the city to OPC for a limited period, their problems would be solved to a great extent. “We have to store these organic products and some of them need to be refrigerated because of their short shelf life. If we get a house within the city limits it comes in handy for us for both storage and distribution purpose. It will also be easy for growers of organic products in and around Dakshina Kannada to bring in their produce to our centre” affirms Rita Noronha. The OPC is also contemplating setting up one or two permanent stationary stalls in the city for the benefit of consumers.

What are Organic products?

Products which are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, ionizing radiation or genetically modified organisms are organic products. Similarly organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals which are not given antibiotics or growth harmones. Those who swear by organic food claim that organically grown food is healthier, nutritious and tastier. Since all conventionally grown food contain residue of pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals, going organic is the only way out, they argue.

Advocates of organic products also vouch for the fact that organic food is tastier that conventional ones. However, taste is said to be more of an individual trait and cannot be taken on face value. But many consumers believe that organic food tastes better because of increased nutrients and even famous chefs in some of the prestigious hotels are choosing organic food to dish out some of the delectable gourmet meals. Studies have also revealed that organic food contains lower level of disease-inducing pesticides.

There are many other aspects that need to be taken care of when it comes to organic products. How can common people know if the products are organic? It is not enough if these products carry a label proclaiming to be organic, which is exactly what is happening in many stores across the country. Prof Clement points out that those farmers growing organic products need to have certification by ICRA or by certified government agency. Or they can have internal certification and external certification. Internal certification can be done by experts from a recognized body or body of growers of organic products. External certification involved inspection of the plot by government-approved certifier to assess whether the products are grown organically or not. Rita Noronha confides “OPC wants to ensure complete transparency. If we come to know that a trader has broken our trust we will not trade with him or her. That should act as a deterrent”.

Is Organic Expensive?

There is a general feeling among the people and it is also true that organic products cost more than conventional products. David D Souza, who coordinates the marketing of the products OPC during the month long campaign, says “organic products sold through malls are quite expensive because of unscrupulous middlemen who give less to the farmers and charge higher to the consumers. Most of our products are quite reasonable including vegetables because we save on fertilizer cost. Our cost involves transportation and a small profit for sellers and therefore both growers and consumers will be benefitted. For example one kg of Basmati rice costs Rs. 60/- which is reasonable. But prices of organic products would stabilize once they are made available regularly through stationary shops”.

Why go Organic?

A recent article in Times of India has pointed out that some of the banned and deadly pesticides are a part of our regular diet in the form of vegetables we consume like okra, cabbages and bananas and fruits. Quoting a study by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India of the Union Agriculture Ministry has pointed out some disquieting facts. It has cautioned that some common food items contain banned pesticides in quantities many times more than the permissible levels. The article further says that according to health experts, prolonged consumption of such food items laced with pesticides is health hazardous because pesticides are neurotoxins and can affect body’s vital organs like the kidney, liver and the endocrine system. They may also affect pregnant women and cause genetic alterations.

The situation is quite distressing and it is propitious time for people to make a switchover to organic food in a phased manner. Considering that we are living in an environment where we are bombarded with toxins in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat, our bodies have become a junkyard of toxins and diseases. It is high time, people think of the long term benefits of going organic in order to reduce the toxic load and also keep chemicals out of the air, water and soil. In doing so, we protect ourselves and also our future generation. An initiative has been started and people should join hands and extend their support to OPC.

Those interested in joining hands with OPC in the campaign to protect our rights of safe food, good health, security of life, sustainable livelihood to farmers and a healthy and safe environment for all, can contact OPC office bearers on email cedes@rediffmail.com or on mobile numbers. For enquiries contact 9341718808, 9448152341, 9164064038, 7760540851.

Contact address:

Convenor, OPC
C/o Centre for Development Studies and Education
Mangala Nagara, Kudupu
Vamanjoor, Mangalore.