Organic takeover

CATERING DIRECTLY to the consumers' needs assures better marketability and incomes. This is what nearly 10,000 farmers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have realised over the past decade and are now steering a silent organic movement.
It all began in 2009, when a group of consumers in Hyderabad, then part of unified Andhra Pradesh, established a cooperative society to source chemical-free produce directly from farmers. Operating under the guidance of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), a Hyderabad-based research nonprofit, the cooperative society over a period of time roped in a few farmers and began to sell the produce through a farmer-run retail store in Secunderabad and mobile retail vans that travelled to urban areas. Soon, more and more organic farmers joined the cooperative society and what had started off as a consumers' initiative became a farmers' group. In 2013, when the government floated the concept of farmer producer organisation (FPO) to aggregate collection of produce and create market links for better prices under the Companies Act of 2013, CSA and the cooperative society saw this as an opportunity.
Establishing an FPO also helps gain financial support from the government. Thus, in 2014, all the farmers' groups under the cooperative society registered themselves as organic FPOS, and the society at the helm as Sahaja Aharam Producer Company Limited, a unique "federation" of organic FPOS. That was the year when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. But Sahaja Aharam continued its operation as a federation with FPOS from both the states. Today, as many as 23 organic FPOS with over 9,000 farmers across 180 villages are part the federation. The groups are spread over the southern plateau and hills of Andhra Pradesh, as well as the north, central and southern parts of Telangana. The farmers grow paddy, cereals, oilseeds, pulses, fruits, vegetables and spices.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In

Reluctant to share
Even three decades after panchayats received constitutional status, states across India seem unwilling to share power with them

GET THE BALANCE RIGHT
India currently relies on three major food crops—rice, maize and sugarcane—for ethanol production. Ethanol-blended petrol supports the country’s goals of carbon neutrality and energy sovereignty. But the transition to clean energy must not jeopardise food security.
Brazil outbreak triggers poultry export bans
A TOTAL of 24 governments, including India, China, South Africa and the EU, announced a complete ban on poultry products from Brazil by the end of May, after the Latin American country confirmed an outbreak of avian influenza.

TRICKY TRAJECTORY
Indirect emissions from land-use changes, overexploitation of water resources must not be ignored in the pursuit of biofuel

MIND THE TRADE-OFF
In times of climate change, a careful roadmap must be drawn to plan how much of food crops can be diverted to fuel production

May mayhem
The 2025 monsoon arrived a week early and raced across India in May, breaking records with its speed and intensity

LOST IN MAIZE
Ethanol-blending programme and its spiralling impacts on food inflation, nutrition availability

World at risk of losing ice sheet, glaciars
THE ANTARCTIC ice sheet, which has the biggest potential for sea-level rise upon melting, may be at or very close to a tipping point, says a study published in Communications Earth and Environment on May 30.

Artwork by nature
Once close to disappearance, Banda's shajar stone handicraft industry is on a revival path

World at risk of losing ice sheet, glaciars
THE ANTARCTIC ice sheet, which has the biggest potential for sea-level rise upon melting, may be at or very close to a tipping point, says a study published in Communications Earth and Environment on May 30.