Farmers' cooperative helps Kerala women farmers get fair price

 For Seena Jomy from Rajamudi near Murikkaseri in Idukki, farming was part of her daily life since marriage. 

KOCHI: For Seena Jomy from Rajamudi near Murikkaseri in Idukki, farming was part of her daily life since marriage. During the past two decades, she has transformed herself from an ordinary farmer from the high ranges of Idukki to a woman who is bold enough to stand on her own feet and face the world, thanks to the support to organic farming by the Kottayam-based Manarcadu Social Service Society (MASS). 
The first-of-its-kind farmers' cooperative in the state with more than 5,000 spices and fruit farmers from five districts engaged in organic farming and ensuring fair-trade price for crops and food produce. 

"Here we have a group of 225 farmers, where women are in a majority and produce various crops such as pepper, coffee, cocoa, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric and clove under organic farming.  Now we have many fruits such as papaya, mango, guava, and jackfruit. We are getting a higher price than the regular products as we are using only organic pesticides. Though some crops such as pepper have been affected by a decline in price, the income from agriculture is supporting our family," said Seena Jomy, secretary of  Rajamudi subcommittee of MASS.

Targeted at the flourishing domestic market, a new ethnic dry fruits brand 'Only Organic' by Plantrich Agritech was launched with five varieties of organic dry fruits- jackfruit, mango, green mango, papaya and gooseberry- at the Organic World Congress held in Greater Noida last week. "Our members are farmers with land from 50 cents to 10 acres and 80 per cent of them have land between two and five acres in the districts of Idukki, Kottayam, Palakkad, Wayanad, and Kasargod. It has a network of 17 groups with a majority of women stakeholders.

Now we have exports to Europe mainly Germany Switzerland, Netherland, and the UK. Our 16 varieties include eight types of spices, five types of fruits and two varieties of coffee and cocoa," said Bijumon Kurian, president, MASS and managing director, Plantrich Agritech Pvt Ltd. According to him, each product is branded with the name of its locality. 

"Thus we have Keezhanthoor Coffee and Wayanad Coffee, Rajamudi Papaya, Munnar Gooseberry and  Thankamani Banana, to name a few. The barcoding makes it possible to trace the product and its specialties and the process it underwent," said Biju.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com