FLO in India: A visit to an organic original

Think organic is just a fad for health conscious Westerners? Well today I met Mr Ram Prasad Bhatt (pictured above), a 77 year old Indian farmer who has been practising organic farming since the 1960s. Everything he produces, from tomatoes to wheat to basmati rice is made using organic fertilisers and biogases that he produces himself on his farm. And he’s busy passing the message onto others in his village- tirelessly visiting them and encouraging them to farm the organic way. When I asked him if he had any retirement plans he replied: “Why should I stop? What will I do with my time then?!”

So why is he so passionate about organic? Mr Bhatt wants to protect the traditional farming methods in his village and keep his produce pure and free from chemicals. The difference in quality and taste is clear: People on the local market are prepared to pay up to double for his organic produce.

Mr Bhatt recently joined a newly formed federation of Fairtrade Farmers in the region. Through the help of Promoting Body, Kohinoor Foods, his organic Fairtrade rice will soon be available on European store shelves. Mr Bhatt also hopes that through Fairtrade, more farmers will be inspired and enouraged to farm the organic way.

Its been exciting to visit a new Fairtrade group and I hope I can keep in touch with them and follow their progress in the years to come. But now it’s time to travel back to Delhi, then on to the next leg of my tour: Silliguri, in West Bengal for the Fairtrade Officer Training!