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Loss from paddy, profit from rice

Vadakkencherry farmers brand organic produce, earn around Rs.30 more a kg

Paddy cultivators of Vadakkencherry Padasekhara Samithy, who had incurred huge losses by opting for organic farming, are now reaping profits by branding their produce.
Farmers under the samithy had switched to organic cultivation during 2007-08 with support from the Agriculture Department and the grama panchayat. The samithy cultivated paddy organically in 18.24 hectares. The venture was initially backed by Poabs Group which introduced a buy-back scheme ensuring a premium price for the growers by exporting the rice. But following a ban on exports of non-basmati rice in October 2007, stocks piled up. Storage was proving to be expensive and cumbersome, said M.V. Resmi, Krishi Officer of Vadakkencherry Krishi Bhavan.
The farmers, who grew rice without pesticides and chemical fertilizers, were unable to sell the product in the domestic market. They were forced to sell the produce along with inorganically cultivated rice to Civil Supplies Corporation at the same rate, around Rs.18 a kg.
When the farmers found organic cultivation a losing business, the Department of Agriculture came to their rescue. It sanctioned a project stressing on the ‘safe-to-eat’ concept, thus facilitating a better price for organic rice through value addition. Instead of paddy, the farmers began to sell rice. The organic rice retains 60 per rice bran which is rich in dietary fibre. The recovery of rice from paddy is 65 per cent.
Last season, the farmers produced 40 tonne of organic Palakkadan Matta rice and marketed it under the brand name ‘Aswathy-Palakkadan Organic Red Rice’ in packets of 2 kg, 5 kg, and 10 kg. Each kilogram fetched them Rs.50.
The rice will be launched in the market by A.K. Balan, MLA, at a function in Vadakkencherry grama panchayat on July 1.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/loss-from-paddy-profit-from-rice/article4868264.ece

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