HYDERABAD: With prices of organic products 30 percent higher than its mainstream counterpart, common citizens find it tough to procure a healthier alternative to fertiliser-laden food. While there are several factors including heath consciousness that drive a customer towards organic food, stores that exclusively sell these products either have a huge clientele or claim to have none—depending on the neighbourhood they operate.
“Our family has been conscious about the ill-effects of pesticide-ridden vegetables and fruits for several years. The price of the products hardly matter to us as good health is more important. Several stores too have come up across the city indicating the market for these products. Also, it is a way in which farmers can be encouraged to go back to traditional ways of farming,” said V Satyanarayana, a retired government employee near Begumpet.
On the other hand, Natural Delights, an organic grocery store located at Rajeev Nagar, rarely finds any customer. “Most people over here cannot afford organic products,” its lone employee said. Located in a residential neighbourhood with mostly 1-BHK and 2-BHK flats, residents generally throng the nearby local markets for their groceries or food.
Ramesh, a resident of the neighbourhood, said, “Though I am aware of what organic foods are, I find it affordable to shop in the local market. Everyone else does the same thing.”Whereas at Daman Organic Living, a store in Banjara Hills, the scene is a little different. Located in a posh neighbourhood amid swanky looking furniture shops and salons, there’s no dearth of customers at the shop.
Srikant, the proprietor of the shop, said, “People over here mostly buy rice and other grocery items. Apart from that we also have cold-pressed cooking oil, shampoos and other assortment, which too have ample demand. There’s no dearth of demand because customers are health conscious.”The organic items at Daman Organic come from various places. They grow a few items at LB Nagar, at Parvatpur, Zaheerabad and they bring in other items from other states.
What is organic food?
Organic foods are items cultivated through organic farming which strive to cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Organic foods should not be processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or synthetic food additives.
India ranks first in terms of number of organic producers50 Union Territory government schools to have organic farms soon1.7% of India’s cultivated area is used for organic farming Total area under organic certification is 5.71 million hectares1.35 MT
India’s exports of certified organic foods
Sikkim is the first state to be declared fully organic with 75,000 hectare under organic cultivation`871 mn
The organic packaged food market is expected to grow to this figure by 2021