The lack of adequate marketing facilities for cultivators of organic vegetables and fruits is forcing many young entrepreneurs in the district to quit the field. Neighbourhood groups formed earlier for group farming projects are also withdrawing from the field, unable to generate income from sales.
“Only a few entrepreneurs are still doing individual marketing of organic produce unmindful of dwindling returns. The main disappointment is that there is not much difference between prices of organic and inorganic produce,” says Jaison Maniyeri, a farmer from Kottur panchayat. He rues the lack of government support for marketing organic produce.
The entry of wholesale traders with produce unscientifically classified as ‘organic’ has also hit genuine farmers in the sector. Many young farmers complain that the absence of a screening mechanism to identify fraudsters in the trade has been spoiling the business of genuine cultivators.
“The unavailability of affordable storage mechanisms is another hurdle faced by many of the large-scale cultivators of organic vegetables and fruits. Their failure to create value-added products also turned it into an unprofitable business,” says Jose Vayalil, a functionary of an agricultural marketing society. He points out that farmers were not ready to invest more funds because of the poor returns they got from the field.
The stoppage of innovative online marketing networks like e-Krishi initiated by the State government affected rural farmers who were badly in need of bulk orders. After the winding up of e-Krishi portal, no similar platform has been made available for the marketing of organic produce supported by the government for farmers.
Farmer organisation leaders claim that the unregulated arrival of vegetables and fruits at a cheaper rate from neighbourhood States have been derailing the livelihood of local farmers. According to them, buyers are yet to offer a good price for organic produce though they are convinced of its health benefits.
Meanwhile, farmers who cultivate exotic fruits organically are seemingly a happy lot compared to that of vegetable farmers. They say that young entrepreneurs in the field are getting good response from wholesale traders even without much marketing and promotional support by the government. Officials from the Agriculture department add that there is an increase in the number of farmers who shift to the cultivation of exotic fruits.
