Southern States
-
Karnataka-Bangalore
Organic farming becoming popular across the globe
By Our Staff Reporter
BANGALORE, SEPT. 28. The important ragi (millet) crop grown in Karnataka, which is one of the staple crops of the State, has great potential when grown organically. The need to adopt organic farming was stressed at a symposium on organic produce organised here on Wednesday.
Mr. Yoshifumi Kihata, Information Director of the International Life and Food Association (ILFA), Japan, described millet (the staple food of that country) and millet-based products as the ``food of the future''. The crop, when grown organically, was healthy for both the human body and the earth, he added.
Mr. Kihata, who also represents the Association for Sustainable Agricultural Certification (ASAC), spoke about the Japanese standards set for growing organically-produced food and for the farms that grew them. According to him, the Japan Agriculture Standards (JAS) were globally regarded as being the best for organic farming. Farms were graded according to their geographic location, the agricultural aspects around the farms (such as the kind of crops grown and the pesticides used), and the source of water. For example, if farms used groundwater that was already polluted by pesticides, the end-products would naturally be contaminated.
Later, Mr. H.C.Sharathchandra, an environment management specialist, pointed out that the yield produced organically was equal to that grown conventionally. He said that in Europe, organic food accounted for three to five per cent of all produce sold. Organic products had a $ 25 billion global market. Besides, a United Nations survey reported that commercial organic food production was increasing.
Other speakers included Mr. K.R.Kumar, HoD, Food Packaging Technology, at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore -- who spoke about various packaging standards and materials used in packaging -- and Ms. Jayalakshmi from an NGO known as Vijetha.
The event organisers, Slowpoison.com (also an NGO) told The Hindu that the focus of their activity was to reshape modern agriculture. ``The aim here is to go back to traditional methods of cultivation,'' said Mr. Nanjunda from Slowpoison.com. ``We want to tell farmers to try growing something simple like millet. In fact, Mr. Kihata has 200 millet-based recipes that are very tasty,'' he said.
According to him, there were already a few organic farmers in Mysore and Bangalore. Slowpoison.com would not only generate awareness on organic farming but also create a market for such products. The NGO planned to organise a workshop in December or January to train participants in JAS standards.
For more information on organic farming or organic products, the organisers can be contacted at 2995706 or e-mail: info@slowpoison.com.
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Southern States
|
