KOZHIKODE: Organic vegetables are the talk of the town after the Vishu festival. The acceptance of organic veggies among the public is high irrespective of the prices. Vendors complain that they do not have adequate vegetables to meet the high demand. This trend is positive and points towards good health practices.
The organic vegetable outlets in and out of Kozhikode city hit big sales during the Vishu season. The “Janakeeya Jaiva Pachakkari Krishi,” a farmers’ initiative under the CPM, harvested about 2200 tonnes of vegetables from 644 acres of land.
Kozhikode district chairman of farmer’s initiative K.P. Kunjahammed Kutty said that 90 percent of these vegetable were sold out while cucumber was the only item remaining.
“We intend to spread the message of good health and the relevance of organic farming and not to gain money from this’’ he says. “There are no agents liaising between farmers and buyers. So we can get the maximum profit for farmers’’ he added. The Vengeri unit of the initiative alone earned about '64,000 from Vishu sales.
Another initiative “Niravu,” a farmers’ club here, has 127 families engaged in farming in their house premises. The estimated sale of the group was Rs 1 lakh on the Vishu eve. Organic vegetables cost high in the market. One kilo tomato costs Rs 10 while organic tomato costs Rs 30, cucumber Rs 20 for inorganic and Rs 60 for chemical-free ones. The people are ready to pay for the pure and natural vegetables.
