Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched the ‘Bharat Organics’ brand of the newly created National Cooperative Organics Ltd (NCOL), batting for organic agriculture and flagging the cancer risk in the overuse of chemicals fertilisers.
Addressing the national symposium on promotion of organic products through cooperatives, Shah said: “I used to travel to many states when I was involved in (the BJP’s) organisation activities. Many trains which used to go towards the cities were called ‘cancer’ trains. This was important enough to open our eyes.”
“The overuse of fertilisers and pesticides in some states and consumption of foodgrain produced in this manner has led to cancer in people. This is the most devastating loss. Apart from this, it has led to diabetes, blood pressure, brain stroke,” he said, acknowledging the link between overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, and cancer.
Calling for change, Amit Shah said: “The Prime Minister has called upon the farmers to move in the direction of organic farming.”
Amid concerns that organic farming may not aid productivity, Shah said: “There have been models of farming that have broken the myth that organic farming leads to fall in production. Our Gujarat Rajyapal, Acharya ji, has successfully experimented with this in many farms across Haryana, which has not only resulted in increasing fertility of land but also increase in production as he has shown. He has attempted to cultivate 21 acres with just one cow.”
Indicating that there is a swell in the number of farmers who are turning organic, the Cooperatives Minister, said: “I am happy to share that in the past five to six years, lakhs of farmers in this country have adopted this, accepted this. After enduring two to three years of a painful process, today many farmers have registered their land as organic.”
He went on to identify issues that plague the market. “No one is willing to agree that the product is organic as there is no certification. For the consumers also, there is an issue. As organic products fetch better prices, many fake products flood the market.”
The solution to the problem, he said, lies in the National Organic Cooperatives Limited which was approved by the Union cabinet on January 11, 2023. “This has been established to give a platform to all those farmers in the country who produce organic products and to enable them to market their products.”
“Funds for the same were made available on January 25, 2023, and on March 21, 2023, the law also came into force. However, today, when I am launching six products of Bharat Organic Ltd, perhaps no one is happier than I am because I know what is going to happen,” said Shah, indicating the official launch of the ambitious scheme to turn more than 50% of farming in India organic or natural.
The six organic products — tur dal, chana dal, sugar, rajma, basmati rice, and Sonamasoori rice — will be sold through Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets and online platforms, he said and added a network of retail outlets is being created across the country.
Expressing confidence that Bharat Organics would go on to be a super performer like other successful cooperative brands like IFFCO or Amul, Shah said: “Today, I would like to tell all those who are associated with cooperatives and agriculture that Bharat Organics is on its way to becoming the biggest brand not just in the country but in the entire world. I am confident of this as I know the strength of our cooperatives and also that of our farmers. This is our track record and this has been achieved by our farmers. By December 2023, we will launch 20 products”.
Apart from launching six organic food products, Shah also launch organic fertiliser, an initiative taken by Prime Minister Modi in his constituency Varanasi. NDDB and Gujarat State Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited have registered a brand for high quality cowdung and will also set up a cowdung gas plant with a 4,000 cubic meter capacity in Varanasi.
“We have to look at cowdung though the commercial lens. Not even one gram of gobar in the country should be wasted, when it can be used in improving soil fertility of the land, organic farming and enhancing the propensity of farmers.”
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