Farmers are not ready to consume what they sell

NEW DELHI: A growing number of farmers are not ready to consume what they sell. They set aside a patch of land in their farms to grow the original basmati rice, with its pristine fragrance, vegetables that are unspoilt by chemical sprays, and fruits that are known for their taste, not weight and volume - but only for their own consumption. For the pubic, they offer the more profitable produce that is brewed in a cocktail of pesticides, weedicides and chemical fertilisers.

The quest for healthy food bereft of chemicals prompted Ashok Taneja to cultivate one acre for domestic consumption out of the 75 acres where he grows wheat, rice and kinnows.

For his own private patch, he uses organic manure and traditional seed. "For commercial selling, I choose the latest seed, fertilisers and pesticides but for my domestic consumption I stick to traditional varieties and cow dung," says Taneja.

For example, the Pusa 1121 basmati variety gives him two and half times higher yield of 24-25 quintal compared to the traditional 'Pakistani' basmati that his forefathers grew. He prefers the later for its taste and purity. He also wants to keep few of his kinnow trees pesticide- and insecticide-free.

"I have to spray the kinnow tree at least once a week to harvest fruits. The frequency increases if it rains. This was not the case earlier," said Taneja who is looking for a farmer who can guide him to grow fruits organically.

Farmers who have witnessed per-hectare consumption of fertilisers growing to over 135 kg from less than just 1 kg at the time of Independence are getting aware of ill effects of agro-chemicals. In urban areas, health-conscious households prefer terrace garden to cut chemical intake.