‘Getting farmers to do organic farming 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 26year-old biotech engineer Likitha Bhanu is doing her bit to reverse the trend.
After graduating from the Vellore Institute of Technology in Biotechnology, Likitha took a year’s break and then decided to take up organic farming. She and her mother Padmaja established Terra Greens Organic Food Company based out of Hyderabad 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.
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 places 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 Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh 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 ecoconscious 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 demand 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.”