Organic farming and produce are considered safer. But one single rule can change everything for us. Why punish the farmers and consumers?
In school, most of us were told almost every other day by teachers to wash our fruits and vegetables thoroughly. Because they are sprayed and dyed with toxins and chemicals to make them juicier, riper, and sweeter. Sometimes, they are also dyed to make them look fresher than they are.
>We have often seen news reports on fruits and vegetable poisoning which lead to deaths and hospitalisation. This makes it worrisome for the consumers. Even if you clean a fruit from outside, what guarantees that it is free of chemicals from the inside?
As an alternative to this, organic farming started gradually trending in India. Produce from organic farming are considered safer, healthier, and cleaner.
Also, goods produced in a regular farm passes through several hands before it reaches the consumer.Produce from an organic farm usually reaches directly to the consumer making it fresher.
Clearly, in the wake of pollution and chemicals, organic farming is seen as a solution for having sustainable and safe produce for us. People have started embracing organic foods, taking to organic farming, and are also raising awareness about the same. We see farmer’s market and such events slowly popping up across cities.
However, all this might just change with a new government regulation that is about to set in. From 1st July 2018 organic food might become scarce or could as well disappear from the markets. If not, it will surely become more expensive for us.
The regulation issued by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandates certification for all organic farmers barring a small set of farmers.
Obtaining this certificate and complying with other new regulations is not only expensive but will also be burdensome for most farmers.
Naturally, if farmers comply, they will be forced to increase the price of their produce. This will make organic food expensive for us.
These tedious regulations will discourage organic farmers and force them to resort to regular farming methods. It is detrimental to not just the growth of organic farming in the country, but also to our health.
Organic farming is more than just a farming technique. It is a way of life and a health-conscious movement. Instead of regulating healthy practices, we need to enforce rules to curb contamination and adulteration of food.
Isn’t it unfair to punish the farmers and consumers for failures of the government?
A few weeks ago, some ministers from India’s ruling party and other elites were posting their images with the hashtag #HumFitTohIndiaFit. Are fitness and health only for politicians and elites? Is this what they mean by ‘Hum’? It’s ironic that the government is trying to contain a health-conscious movement.
Farmers and consumers should be at the heart of every regulation. We must especially speak up and protest regulations which are hard to comply and have the potential to kill an industry.
