In a huge, well ventilated hall, about half a dozen women are busy sorting out vegetables that reached there a few hours ago.
From the leafy variety to carrots and broad beans, these vegetables are being segregated and weighed. Once the weighing is complete, the vegetables are put in a bamboo basket and covered with a gunny bag so that they do not dry before reaching the buyers.
The Deccan Development Society (DDS), an NGO working in this village, initiated the process of growing organic vegetable in April this year. Under the label Sangam Organics, the NGO has tied up with farmers to supply organic vegetables to about 100 consumers residing at Zaheerabad for a service charge.
The vegetables are grown on about 20 acres in 10 villages — Bidakanne, Kuppanagar, Machanoor, Nyamatabad, Arju Naik tanda, Tumkunta, Pastapur, Kishtapur, and Kashimpur. As many as 18 varieties of vegetables, including seven leafy vegetables, are being grown in these fields.
The farmers, who are in the trade, have promised not to use any chemical/fertilisers in the field, keeping in tune to the slogan ‘ detoxifying our fields and bodies .’ Though the initiative started with 23 farmers, three were removed from the programme as they were not following the strict practice of organic farming.
It took the activists of DDS four months to help farmers get into the fold of organic farming after they were assured that the residents of Zaheerabad would buy their vegetables. Every Tuesday and Friday, the vegetables were supplied to the customers.
“The demand for organic vegetables is huge. However, we are not in a position to meet the demand as these vegetables need to be cultivated on more area. It may take some more time for that,” said Manikyam, one of the activists of DDS.
