WHAT THE FARMERS NEED (15th Feb 2011)

ORGANIC MANURE & PESTICIDES:

“Farmers in developed countries are now more aware and are switching over to organic manures resulting in more than 10 per cent drop in chemical fertilizer production. On the contrary, we in India are ignoring the benefits of organic fertilizers and importing huge quantities of chemical fertilizers,” says Prof. D. Narahari, former Head, Poultry Science, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai.

I have been interacting with some like-minded people all across the globe and each one of them say that their country is seeing a drastic change in dietary habit, because most of them are now aware about the ills of consuming GM Crops and have switched as much as possible to buy Organic produce to be on the safe side... it is also common sense that the West, which has been promoting GM Crops since decades have the maximum number of psychotic disorder cases as compared to the Eastern countries, who have been practicing Organic Farming since ages... dumping the poisonous chemicals fertilizers & pesticides for its GM Crops, the West has in fact, not only affected the fertility of soil but also are killing people softly through various illness in almost all the countries... obviously all these GM Crops & poisonous chemical fertilizers &  pesticides are helping the Pharmaceutical industry to grow at such a rapid pace. Haiti was a great example when they refused Monsato’s GM Food Grains offer as aid and burned whatever was supplied... the country had the guts one must say to do such a thing when they had suffered the worst tragedy in decades... Hats off to every Haitian and especially their government to show to the world, how dangerous the GM Crops are in reality!

Brazil is another latest example of how a country can fight back the GM lobby to switch over to Organic Farming to increase food grains production of the nation. Even in France, the limitation of Organic Farming is seeing a gradual growth among consumers, who are ready to shell out more money to buy Organic produce... In UK, the citizen have realized that GM Crops are the main source of all the nervous disorders and hence the slow but steady shift to Organic Farming in taking place in most of the countryside counties, so I was told by my friends from the Island nation.

A very simple test can be made by anyone who is reading this post: When you cook food, use the desi (organic produced) tomatoes instead of the Hybrid Tomato and one can see the difference. Similarly, Organic grown cucumber is much tastier than the Hybrid and yes, Organic grown Celery, Parsley, Lettuce, Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Red Raddish or any English vegetables have more value and sell at higher prices in India... sadly though, the government of India has been promoting GM Crops and teaching the farmers to use more and more chemical fertilizers & pesticides to grow more so that more Indians are affected. I used to run a hi-end vegetable supermarket in Hyderabad by the name TARKARI (in Banjara Hills Road No:1) and we had a lovely supplier of English vegetables, all grown in their Organic Farm... Maru Farm was famous in Secunderabad & Hyderabad for Organic English Vegetables.

Earlier, every farmer used to have cattle, which were used to plough fields, provide them milk and of course, cow dung... the main source for Organic manure... in olden days, 90 per cent of farmers used to have cattle as compared to today’s modern days, where in tractors have taken over from the cattle, resulting in only 10 per cent of farmers owning cattle. While a lot of noise is made about the modernisation of agriculture and development, sadly, the state of agriculture is in deterioration, going from bad to worse... soil fertility have been affected so much with the use of chemical fertilizers that even if the farmers who dare to go back to start Organic Farming, it takes almost three to five years for the soil to regain its fertility. Poor marginal farmers have no choice but to continue with chemical farming as they cannot afford to sustain for three to five year time period.

Organic Farming reduces the initial investment of the farmers many folds because the manure is free and the pesticides are prepared from Neem leaves and seeds, which also is free of cost for the farmers and the produce, needless to say are healthy and better as compared to GM produce. While there are many initiatives in the Vidarbha region where Organic Farming is being done, sadly, the government has not been taking enough initiatives to promote Organic Farming in the region, where farmers’ suicide is rampant.

The farmers have to realize that Organic Farming will only release them from all their sorrows and worries towards a better future... will more and more people propagate Organic Farming to Vidarbha farmers? Time will tell...

.... to be continued...