A steady market for their produce has always been a concern for the organic farmers’ collectives here. The improving demand for organic produces, evident at fairs and sales stalls during Onam, has given fresh hopes for the organic farmers in the region.
While some of the collectives have opened permanent outlets at different parts of the city, others have forayed into the market with seasonal or temporary stalls.
Even the temporary stalls put up by these collectives under different self-help groups and quasi-governmental agencies have made reasonable profit during the Onam season, say farmers.
Niravu Vengeri, a collective of 101 residents at Vengeri here, is a prominent collective with a permanent organic vegetable outlet in the city.
The outlet, which completed a year this August, has already registered a turn over of Rs.19.5 lakh.
“Most of the individual farmers in our collective had to intensify their cultivation to meet the high demand during this Onam season,” said Babu Parambath. “We are sure that the demand will be much higher in the years to come,” he said.
Other organic farmers’ collectives such as Green View, which also launched an own outlet for produces in the city recently, are “inspired” by the recent spurt in demand for organic produces. “We could hardly meet the demand during Onam,” said Rajul Kumar of Green View.
The collective is now planning to start a few model organic vegetable gardens at select centres around the city to meet the increasing demand. “We are also considering the possibilities of polyhouse farming in the organic way for vegetables such as tomato and chilly,” he said.
Rajan Nair, an organic farmer from Kakkur in Kozhikode, says organic farmers need not worry about a steady market for their produces even if the produces are relatively costly for customers. “It is definitely a good sign which will help boost the confidence of the farmers,” says Mr. Nair, who sells a variety of organic vegetables he cultivates at his three-acre land at Kakkur to many organic outlets in the city.
