Civil Society News
New Delhi
ON June 12, Meerut got its first retail outlet selling organic food. Called OrganiC AaharaM, it has been launched by the Janhit Foundation so that local farmers can reach consumers directly. The outlet is located at DC-7, Shastri Nagar, birthplace of 1857, the First War of Independence. The shop’s green billboard advertises chemical free, healthy and tasty food from ‘farm to plate’. The products are all certified. You can buy organic flour, mustard oil, honey, turmeric, wheat dalia, masoor, dal urad (chilka), dal urad, (dhoa). OrganiC AaharaM was inaugurated by Satish Chander, joint secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation. He described Janhit Foundation as a ‘lighthouse’ for spreading knowledge and helping farmers get a good price for their produce. He was hopeful polluted Meerut would be transformed into an organic district.
Vasant Saberwal from Ford Foundation, which is supporting the project, was impressed by the many women who turned up to buy the organic products. Jostling in the crowd were excited farmers. Ram Chander Singh, an organic farmer from village Kalina, Rohta block, Meerut district said the farming community was solidly backing Janhit and a silent green revolution was taking place. The scene then shifted to Khandrawali village. Guests listened as farmer Kanti Tyagi explained how he practised organic agriculture. Clearly elated, Tyagi said he was not expecting a 25 per cent premium on his produce during the conversion period. But Janhit paid him and other farmers by cheque. This has established deep faith and trust, he said. A sacred pledge was taken in Tyagi’s mango orchard by Mahendra Singh of Alampur, Virendra Singh of Bhatipura and Munna Lal of Khatki village.
They vowed to increase their acreage of organic farming and spread wisdom about it to others. This entire stretch of Western Uttar Pradesh consisting of 20 districts has been steeped in pesticides and chemicals. Janhit’s many investigations showed that there was severe soil degradation and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) had invaded groundwater, soil and crops and were having serious repercussions on health. Since 2003, the Janhit Foundation has been working assiduously to get farmers in Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat districts switchover to growing food organically. (See Civil Society, April 2007)“Apart from halting soil and water degradation and safeguarding health, organic farmers will get an excellent price for their organic produce literally on the spot,” said Anil Rana, director of Janhit Foundation.
The NGO is now planning to work with the impoverished farmers of Bundelkhand who grow mostly cereals and desi wheat called kathia. Farmers are currently selling their chemical free produce at very low margins of profit. “Our earnest endeavour is to provide organic farmers in this backward district a rich market and help them become independent,” said Anil Rana.
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