Mohan Kumar (39), a farmer at Gobichettipalayam,
cultivates sugarcane and paddy on about six acres. This includes organic
cultivation on nearly four acres, which he started almost a decade ago.
“For
the first four years, I struggled to improve soil fertility because I
had used chemical fertilizers in excess. Now, the soil has become
fertile,” he says.
Though he has not gone in for
organic certification, Mr. Kumar says he is struggling to market the
produce. There are not many retail outlets to sell organic products.
Hence,
farmers sell in the regular market and the price for the organic
produce is the same as for other produce coming to the daily market, he
explains.
Shantha Ramasamy, who runs an organic
outlet in Coimbatore for the last 11 years, sources organic- cultivated
vegetables, rice, and pulses from farmers in nearby areas and also from
Madurai and Kodaikanal.
Registration
An
official of the Department of Agriculture says that about 5,100 farmers
(29,677 acres) have registered their farms for organic certification
with the department.
This includes over 50 farmers from Coimbatore and Erode districts and about 25 from Tirupur district.
Source : The Hindu
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