Locally produced organic vegetables have received a rockstar welcome with many of the hundreds of temporary vending points being sold out within hours of their opening on Wednesday.
“Sales have been brisk and the entire quantum of vegetable cowpea and bittergourd were sold out within hours”, said P.R. Sathyan of the CPI (M) who was one of the volunteers manning an outlet in Vyttila.
“Some of our volunteers have not gone home last night as sales were on until 1.30 a.m.” on Wednesday, said the secretary of Palliakkal Service Cooperative Bank M.P. Vijayan.
The service cooperative bank has been on the vanguard of the organic vegetable cultivation initiative in the district after bringing around 400 acres under different vegetables.
M. M. Abbas of Organic Kerala Charitable Trust said that the Trust had procured only from farmers who grew vegetables and fruits organically.
The farmers are paid 30 per cent premium over the wholesale price, he said.
The district units of the CPI (M) have opened 164 outlets while another 50 vending points are operating under different service cooperative societies. The principle adopted is that only 20 per cent price should be increased over the procurement price to meet transport, service and damage costs.
The popularity of the locally-grown vegetables has sunk the price of vegetables imported from outside the State. While organic vegetables like vegetable cowpea sold for Rs. 120 a kg, its imported counterpart fetched between Rs. 60 and Rs. 65.
“This is just a demonstration and reminder to the people that they should eat poison-free vegetables”, said P. Balachandran Nair of Gandhi Research Institute, a voluntary body, which has opened a temporary outlet near Vyttila junction.
