KOCHI: Right from rice to vegetables, Keralites depend upon the neighbouring states. If one visits the check posts, a long queue of big trucks laden with vegetables and fruits can be seen waiting to enter the state. These vegetables and fruits, grown using chemical fertiliser and doused with pesticides, has been a staple diet of every Keralite. But as time progressed, the after-effects of consuming these poisonous veggies began showing up.
Statistics show there has been a sharp increase the number of cancer cases in the recent years. “The main reason being cited is the ingestion of harmful chemicals. Hence, the only alternative is to go organic,” said Hima, a pharmacist. The idea of ‘organic’ found many takers and their number is increasing.
As the popularity and consumer base grew, so did the number of products tagged as organic. From paste to shampoo and chilly to watermelon everything is being marketed as organic.
People go to organic shops to buy vegetables and fruits hoping to provide their loved ones with healthy food. And the business is booming at these shops. Not only are these produce packaged attractively but also are costly. More and more people are switching to organic, said Anusha, a teacher at a school in the city. “However, the billion-dollar question is whether this so-called organic produces are really what they are,” she said.
According to Chandra Mohan, an organic farmer, it is not possible to grow tonnes of vegetables organically. “It depends on the kind of resources one has. For ordinary farmers, organic farming is a huge investment. With decreased use of enhancers, a ‘strictly’ organic produce will not look as glossy as an apple or a tomato you buy at these so-called organic shops. These vegetables and fruits will only last for a few days,” he said.
“Not all beauty and everyday products that come with the organic tag are actually so. Getting an organic certificate is a strenuous process. It takes years to get one and the conditions that need to be met in order to get a certificate are very stringent,” say experts.
National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and its regulatory body Agricultural and Processed food products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have set up guidelines that have to be met in order to get an organic certification in India. All products that are certified as organic display the ‘India Organic’ logo. This enables the customer to easily identify the products. Certification is a must for products being exported under organic tag.
Many use the ‘organic’ tag as a successful marketing strategy. Some have franchises all over the state and country. Some of them sell these products online.When it comes to the export of organic products, India has a foolproof system. While such laws exist in the certification in the states too, the implementation rate is much less.
A mere eyewash
“Most of the shops use a NABL accredited lab certification. We have done extensive research on conventionally produced vegetables and organic ones. More often these vegetables did not show much variation in the presence of pesticides and the elements that are usually not approved of in the ‘organic’ practice,” observe scientists of Pesticide Residual Laboratory, College of Agriculture Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram. ‘Veggie wash’ and other such products used by the customers to clean vegetables are used widely by the organic shops too. Hence, the customers should start looking for the methods of production and elements used. They should also look for the emblem. Apart from this, the practice of publicising the mode of production for customers to see should be adopted.