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Come summer and luscious litchis from Bihar are in high demand, not only in India but also abroad. Keeping in view the rising demand for organic food in the country, farmers of north Bihar this season have come up with their organic litchis to attract new clientele for their delicious product.

"About 2,100 farmers in Muzaffarpur district have grown organic litchis in as much as 1,200 hectare of land covering 76 villages of Motipur, Meenapur and Kanti blocks," said Kundan Kumar Raju, project officer of International Panacea limited (IPL), Muzaffarpur, an organization that provides inputs for organic farming. "We are expecting to produce around 15,000 metric tonne of organic litchis this year," Raju said.

The organic litchis will be of better quality and produce less chemical residue. It is grown with the help of vermi-compost and bio-fertilizers without using any pesticide.

The IPL, in collaboration with National Agricultural Co-operation Marketing Federation ( NAFED), started a joint venture in Muzaffarpur district about three years back. "They informed farmers about the advantages of organic farming and encouraged them to switch to it. Consequently, interested farmers entered into a three-year contract with us. Now their hard work is set to pay dividends," Raju said.

"So far as certification is concerned, it is a three-stage process. The organic litchis produced here have already got C1 and C2 certificates. The final stage certificate, which is known as C3 certificate, would be given by OneCert Asia Agri Certification Private Limited, Jaipur, in May," he said.......Read More

 

Source: Times of India