HYDERABAD: Veera Reddy, a mechanical engineer by profession, started organic farming in 2007. After working abroad for a few years, Reddy returned to Hyderabad and found everything here adulterated. He decided to produce his own organic eatables in a 10-acre farm.
According to him, only educated people are aware of the importance of organic products and going organic, and there is a need for more awareness among the people in this respect.
Chekoti Bio Organic products were founded by Veera Reddy in 2015 along with his daughter Keerthi Chekoti and son-in-law Rajesh Kumar Chekoti in their individual farms in Pakala village, Warangal district and in Kothapalli Village, Jangaon District in Telangana.
As the sourcing of organic seeds is difficult in Telangana, they started with the propagation of their own seeds. Today they also produce and sell a wide range of certified organic vegetables and herbs for sale in Telangana.
“Initially, in 2007, we started with the plantation of wonder fruit NONI — Botanical name Mori-nda Citrifolial in Pakala village. M. Citrifolia fruit powder contains carbohydrates and dietary fibre in moderate levels. These macronutrients evidently reside in the fruit pulp, as M. Citrifolia juice has sparse nutrient content,’’ Veera Reddy said,
He added, “In an area with low rainfalls, strong winds and high temperatures in summer, the production of vegetables poses many challenges. I guess it is true to say that we have pioneered organic farming here on the West Coast. We have achieved and maintained organic certification –INDOCERT, USDA and INDIA ORGANIC since in 2008.”
“Our premises and systems were upgraded to meet the latest standards in hygiene as well as all relevant occupational and environmental regulations,” he explained.
“Today, we produce a select range of fresh vegetables, pack them with as little plastic as possible, and distribute our produce through our own brand shops and through other organic shops’’, he added.
‘Getting farmers shift to organic farming is tough’
Organic farming — once upon a time the only way farmers farmed — is a better alternative than chemical farming that is widely practised in India, but 26-year-old biotech engineer Likitha Bhanu is doing her bit to reverse the trend.
After graduating from the Vellore Institute of Technology in Biotechnol-ogy, Likitha took a year’s break and then decided to take up organic farming. She and her mother Padm-aja established Terra Gre-ens Organic Food Comp-any based out of Hyder-abad in 2013. “We had two aims: to spread awareness about organic food and to help farmers across India adopt this method of farming,” says Lakitha.
26-year-old Likitha Bhanu along with her mother Padmaja Bhanu strikes a pose with staff at the Terra Greens Organic Food Company established by the duo in Hyderabad in 2013. (Photo: DC)
The company supplied mangoes to the upmarket Nature’s Basket chain of stores, under the brand name Terra Greens Organic. Consumers took to the organic mangoes instantly and demand outstripped supply.
Terra Greens produces the staples of an Indian kitchen such as pulses, all types of fruits, spices, honey, and tea. Likitha says quality of the product is important so they procure produce from pla-ces where it was originally grown. Terra Green’s basmati rice comes from Uttarakhand, its other rice from Kannur, pulses from Maharashtra and wheat from Rajasthan.
“We started our first farming project in Rajasthan with a loan and our savings, followed by Mahara-shtra and Andhra Prad-esh because the demand and understanding of organic farming was better in these states at that time. We have our farms in 16 states and over 650 stores for which 4,000 farmers are working across India,'' says the eco-conscious entrepreneur.
She says the main challenge is to convince the farmers, who have been used to chemical agriculture, about the importance of organic farming. Organic products are costly because the demand is so low, but once the dem-and increases, the market will improve, she says.
“The government should increase awareness among farmers to go in for organic farming and also promote the consumption of organic farming. Partnership should be increased between farmers and the companies to encourage farmers to get into organic farming.”
