Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) has been designated by the National Centre for Organic Farming as the regional agency for Kerala for certification of organic farm produce.
The VFPCK will now be able to issue certificates for organic produce for their sale within the country.
Sources in the VFPCK said that being able to certify farm produce as organic would take the State a step closer to its goal of turning totally organic by 2016.
As of now, the organic certification process is costly and long drawn and most farmers find it difficult to get certified, sources said.
Getting a produce certified as purely organic takes up to three years. In the first year, the produce being certified by the VFPCK will come under the label ‘Organic Green.’
The VFPCK is already in the process of encouraging farmers under self-help groups to turn to organic farming.
Steps have been taken in Kasaragod where 150 local groups of 25 farmer members each have been formed.
Training for farmers
The farmers are being given training in organic methods, said a senior official of the VFPCK. The ultimate aim is to have local groups in all districts as the State achieves the goal of going fully organic.
The local-level groups will be trained not only in organic agricultural methods but also in production of organic inputs such as biocontrols and biofertilizers. Two biofertilizer units are being set up under the aegis of the VFPCK. The two plants will cost Rs.80 lakh and will come up in Thrissur and Ernakulam.
Besides, two soil testing laboratories are being set up in Alappuzha and Malappuram. These units cost Rs.60 lakh each, including the building and equipment.
Sources said that one of the weakest areas in Kerala agriculture was lack of soil testing facilities. Though fertilizer application should be undertaken only after a soil test, it is not generally followed by the State farmers.
Farmers under the VFPCK have brought around 20,000 ha under banana cultivation and around 24,000 ha under vegetables.
