Scripting a success saga in producing organic vegetables and providing it to the public at an affordable price, Way Farm, a farmer producer company, sponsored by NABARD in Wayanad district, is gearing up to repeat the same success in exporting organic vegetables to countries abroad.
Cine artist Sreenivasan will flag off the first consignment of organic vegetables to the U.A.E at 11 a.m. at Edathana, near Valad, in the district on Tuesday.
“We have set up the company to promote organic farming among farmers in the district, ensure better prices for the produce by avoiding exploitation by middlemen and exploring the marketing potential of value-added farmer produce,” said P. Hariharan, chairman of the organisation.
‘It is also envisaged to attract more youths to the farming sector by promoting modern technologies such as precision farming and poly-house farming,” Sabu Palattil, managing director, Way Farm, said.
The Way Farm was launched in June 2014 by as many as 52 farmers’ clubs functioning under various public sector banks and NGOs in the district. They started vegetable cultivation in September 2014 with its 100 members on nearly 45 hectares of land.
However, the company has now 500 organic farmers as members under 60 farmer clubs.
They are cultivating different crops on nearly 200 hectares of land including 10 hectares in Karnataka.
More than 100 farmers are being engaged in open as well as precision farming to ensure uninterrupted supply of vegetables and other farm produces.
The organisation is selling the produce through its eight outlets in the district and supplying it to consumers in Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Kannur districts as per demands .
“The organisation has signed an MOU with an exporting company in Kochi to export 15 types of vegetable crops to consumers in U.A.E., Qatar, and Oman in the first phase,” N. S. Sajikumar, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, said .
They are also exploring the possibility to export their produce to Australia and Germany.
The organisation also provides training to its members with financial assistance from NABARD.
It also provides good quality seedlings, organic fertilizers and pesticides and monitors farming activities of its members.
