Anand threaded two other friends and bought a 15-acre farm about 100 kilometers from Chennai. His next step was to convert the area to an organic farm.
In his quest to switch to organic food, Anand K., CEO of SRL Diagnostics, turned to organic farming in 2011. “When we were looking for organic food, we found products like rice, wheat, milk and vegetables, it is difficult to know if they are really organic because there is no specific certification agency for these foods in India, ”he recalls. Companies that export organic food to the United States and Europe obtain their certifications from overseas agencies.
Anand threaded two other friends and bought a 15-acre farm about 100 kilometers from Chennai. His next step was to convert the area to an organic farm. It usually takes three to five years for a farm to become fully organic, as all the soil needs to be replenished. “We are currently growing paddy (different varieties of rice), legumes and oilseeds. We also have organic milk. Yields are much lower than regular rice varieties promoted by agricultural institutes, but our quality is much better. Today we have been able to find a solution for at least a few families, ”he said. Anand wants to expand the project, in addition to creating similar cooperative initiatives across the country. “At this point, we’re all working on it part-time. We can look at making it a bigger business, ”he adds.
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