Ten months ago, when the Niravu Farmer Club, aided by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), conceived the idea of an outlet to market the excess vegetables and fruits its members organically produced in their backyards around the city, many laughed at it.
But that is an old story, and the organic produce outlet of the farmers’ collective has already become a successful model now. According to P.P. Mohanan, treasurer of the club, the outlet at Nadakkavu in the city has registered a business of Rs.13.5 lakh. Only 10 per cent of the total turnover is set aside as running cost. “The rest is transferred directly to the club members’ bank accounts proportional to what produce they had handed over for sale,” Mr. Mohanan said.
Most of the over 110 members of the farmers’ club, constituted a year ago, had found at least 50 per cent of the vegetables they produced in excess of what they needed for their family’s use. A part of it used to go waste even after sharing among neighbours. “It was then that we thought about pooling them together and making them available to those who like to buy them,” said Babu Parambath, project coordinator of the initiative.
Initially, the outlet would open only on Sundays. “Later, we decided to keep the shop open on all days, at least for a fixed few hours,” Sathyan, a member of the club and who mans the shop, said. “Interestingly, we used to sell out whatever we have in that few hours as we had a steadily growing customer base,” said Mr. Sathyan.
Varied fare
The members would bring almost all varieties of fruits and vegetables, including spinach, plantain, brinjal, cucumber, bitter gourd, mango, jack fruit, and papaya. The prices would be slightly on the higher side.
“But the entire process involved no middle-men or any kind of exploitation with the farmers getting the maximum benefit,” said Mr. Babu, who maintained that he himself earned more than Rs.8,000 a month from a few varieties of vegetable he supplied to the shop.
He said each member-farmer was given a code number, which would be tagged on the item they provided. A customer could trace the identity of the particular farmer and proceed with legal action if he or she was found to have used any chemical fertilizer or pesticide while cultivating their produce. “Each member is taken in after signing a contract to that effect,” said Mr. Babu.
The outlet witnessed brisk business during the Vishu. Besides vegetables and fruits, organic pest control solutions and fertilizers also are sold at the outlet. For details, call Ph: 9447276177.
