Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Organic products’ expo begins today

VISAKHAPATNAM: A two-day awareness and exhibition of organic products is being organised jointly by the Gandhi Centre and the Sabala on Sunday and Monday.

Addressing a media conference in this connection on Saturday, Sabala secretary K. Saraswathi said that the objective of the expo was to create awareness among consumers about the need to use healthy agriculture products that were grown without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. She said that the Vizag Consumers’ Society for Organic Products was formed to promote the use of organic products.

The development of organic products has been going on for the past five years. Farmers have been educated on the need to go for organic farming and they are also receptive to the idea.

Ms. Saraswathi said that the organisation decided to provide marketing facilities for the eco-friendly products in association with the Gandhi Centre. She said that organic products were being grown in about 40 villages of Kothavalasa, L. Kota, Anakapalle and Madugula mandals. Interest-free loans were given to farmers for development of the eco-friendly products. They were also tips on optimum utilisation of land by growing different crops all round the year instead of cultivating only rice. She said that Mutually Aided Cooperative Societies (MACS) were formed in other districts like Nalgonda, Warangal, Anantapur, Guntur and Mahabubnagar and at the State-level Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) was set up in Secunderabad.

‘Dampudu biyyam’ (brown rice), millets, pulses and other organic products would be displayed at the expo.

She said that Gandhi Centre founder K.S. Sastry, former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University K.V. Ramana, Sarvodaya Mandali Committee members Raaviprolu Subrahmanyam and G.S. Sarma and advocates Zahara and Suryabhaskaram and Consumers’ Society convener M.M. Rao were assisting in the conduct of the expo. Gandhi Centre convener R. Subrahmanyam recalled that Mahatma Gandhi had advocated Swadeshi about a century ago. He said it was a good sign that attempts were being made to achieve the vision of the Mahatma in the centenary celebrations of Hind Swaraj.

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