Gujarat’s organic farmers unwilling to seek certificate

Lengthy documentation and increased cost of getting the certification has prevented several farmers from getting the organic tag certificate for their produce. It should be noted that the certification is not mandatory for small organic farmers or organisations whose turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh per annum. But those whose turnover is beyond Rs 12 lakh per annum cannot use the tag “organic” without certification.

At the fourth Kisan Swaraj Sammelan, Kavitha Kuruganti from the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) proposed the need to do away with certification for farmers who sell directly to customers without intermediaries. “This turnover ceiling limits the marketing potential of organic produce for small farmers or organisations that sell produce of various small organic farmers,” sadi Kuruganti. “What’s the need for certification for such organisations when they sell directly to the customers, and traceability isn’t an option? These organisations are actually encouraging farmers to take up organic farming. Without market avenues, farmers will not move to organic farming and we shouldn’t limit their market avenues by bringing in turnover limits for organic certification,” said Kuruganti.

Vivek Shah, an organic farmer from Nadiad, says he began the certification process but gave it up midway, calling the process tedious. “It has a lot of paperwork involved and it is difficult for a farmer to dedicate that much amount of time and energy to this. As a result, consultants have cropped up who charge from farmers to get the certification process done,” said Shah, who relies on the trust he has earned from his customers over the years to sell his organic produce.