Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
than transitioning directly from chemical to organic farming. Eventually
if the farmers become convinced of the benefits and prospects of organic
farming, they can be helped in that certification too. The larger vision is
to provide safe food for the country first and then become export ready.
Towards promoting chemical-free farming the Sikkim model can be
replicated with respect to dis-incentivizing the use of chemicals in the
program area.
BRANDING AND MARKETING OF GRADED PRODUCE
It is found that the agri-businesses requires specific types
of produce like: Ramanad Mundu – a specific type of chilli grown
only in Ramanadapuram district in Tamil Nadu; Virudunagar Malli –
coriander grown in the Virudunagar district in Tamil Nadu; or Nagori
Methi- fenugreek from the Nagore district of Rajasthan. Branding is a
complicated game, but most FPOs are not in a position to participate in
anything beyond the pre-processing stage of value addition to a product
in their early years. 28
Across the world, countries and regions pride themselves with some
agri-produce or the other that is specific to their geography. Geographical
indicators (GI) are certified for such products by the communities
that produce them. This is done so that the communities engaged in
production of this product can earn a premium on the product by virtue
of it being produced in that region. 29 The yoghurt from Greece is the
only one that can be called Greek yoghurt; not all yoghurts can be called
that. Similarly, only wine prepared in the small region of Champagne,
France can be called champagne – and certainly not any other wine that
is prepared like champagne. Similarly, Chennapatna toys in a small
town near Mysore are again protected by geographical indicators –not all
wooden toys painted with natural ink can be called Chennapatna toys.
Therefore, the FPOs that specifically generate produce, which are known
traditionally for their specific flavors or aroma, can have geographical
indicators certified for them. This will certify the authenticity of the
produce and also fetch a premium for the produce from a particular
geography. The agri-businesses will anyway take advantage of the GI tags
136