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Time has driven us to an era where everything we expect to be faster; we want faster vehicles, faster computers and faster mobile phones and even faster internet connectivity. Our body and mind is set to have faster access to everything; most probably as a result we find fast food counters in every nook and corner of our society nowadays.
In this fast moving world, we generally choose consumer products by its big brand names and easy access to shopping malls and stores. Often time we ignore to see what is behind the brands; even we find same big brands land up with controversies, but somehow they manage to redo everything once again like before. However in developed countries they get banned for ever. The point is, even after 70 years of our independence our consumer law is not tight enough to protect the consumers and put the law-breakers behind the bars.
Since 1950, chemical fertilisers and pesticides have been extensively used across India to get better crop yields through more cultivation. Without proper guidelines and governance, farmers and producers have used uncontrolled chemical fertilisers and pesticides for the short term profit and eventually they have got good return. However in long run they are badly effected; in recent time farmers are always in the national news headline for their daring steps to end lives. Now the problem is so prominent that it cannot be ignored at any cost. The headline India is heading for an agrarian crisis published as Saturday Interview of Dr. Mangala Rai (Former Director General of the ICAR) in The Statesman sends a shockwave through our spine.
Market has also started reacting towards this situation; a need of organic farming is felt badly now. Several states in India have started organic farming irrespective of the fact that the duration of sowing and harvesting organic crops is much slower than conventional farming.
Nowadays consumers want an alternative as they are more aware of the side effects of harmful chemicals & pesticides. Unfortunately there are very few ways to recognise an appropriate organic food products in the market as there is uncertainty in India related to labelling and standard of the products beside high purchasing value and limited availability. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) does not have a proper guideline for choosing organic products. Recently a number of state governments have taken initiatives to develop organic farming and have come up with organic policies and state government subsidies. States such as Karnataka, Sikkim and Gujarat have set up state certification bodies for the farmers to reduce the cost of organic certification.
It is tough for a common consumer to choose the right organic products as FSSAI says in a news report, “Organic food products are either those grown under a system of agriculture without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides or made from organically produced raw materials. Currently, a number of food products are being marketed as organic.” They again say that the consumers do not have any way to check the authenticity of organic food products due to lack of a regulatory framework. Though things have started to change; in a recent report published in The Hindustan Times FSSAI has recently announced about drafting a law to stop the sale of “so called” organic products in Indian market.
About Earthen Living
Earthen Living practices to protect air, soil, water, and human. The name itself speaks for its vision. The adverse effect of plastic, chemicals, and toxic loads tell its own stories and now we have enough stories and evidences to believe that we do not live healthy. Earthen Living is an initiative to design a healthy way of life, not just for the consumers; but also for the people who help us to live healthy. Earthen Living is not just a company; it is a way to live natural lifestyle.
