Healthy, unadulterated food is not just a privilege of the rich. With growing awareness among people about the significant impact of food on health, more and more people are seeking to find out where the food comes from and how it is grown. This has given rise to a new market of organic food products.
According to a recent report published by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the organic food market in India is expanding at a staggering rate of 400 per cent every year.
Visakhapatnam, too, is gradually witnessing a feisty wave of support for organic products in the form of small businesses and on social networking forums. While organic food may not be mainstream, yet in the city, nevertheless, it is more affordable and accessible than before.
Most city malls and hypermarkets in the city have a dedicated section of organic products. In fact, the growing awareness for organic food can be assessed in a Facebook page called Vizag Safe Healthy and Organic Food which has around 500 members who discuss health tips and benefits of organic food and also studies conducted on food practices.
Popular perception
However, the popular perception about organic products is that they are pricey. A Vizag-based social enterprise called Sumaja EcoWellness is aiming at not only address this issue through awareness camps, but also working in tandem with farmers’ cooperative societies across India to help them reach out to bigger markets.
The firm, that recently launched its second store in the city, works with four farmers’ cooperative societies -- Sahaja Aharam Producer Company, Samarthak Producer Company, Valnadu Sustainable Agriculture Company and Titos Organic -- in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu and helps them market the organic produce in Visakhapatnam. “In a direct market, for every Rs. 100, a farmer makes a gain of just Rs 20. But in the cooperative society model, we ensure that at least Rs. 50 goes to the farmer. At the same time, our product pricing is affordable due to the direct access to farmer’s cooperatives,” said Bandaru Naresh of Sumaja EcoWellness.
Worldwide research shows that organically produced foods are higher in antioxidants and other nutrients than conventional foods which have high levels of pesticides and chemicals. “In fact, study shows that 51 per cent of the food is contaminated in India with pesticide residues. In such a scenario, many are looking out for organic products,” Naresh added.
Diverse products
Sumaja EcoWellness is focussing on bringing diverse products including some rare ancient heritage grains like samalu (little millet), korralu (foxtail millet), value foods made with ancient rice varieties, and other healthy food such as jawar rava, khandasari sugar, jaggery powder, flax seeds and general grocery items. Sumaja EcoWellness has outlets in Seethammadhara and Gopalapatnam.
