Organic products within reach of common man, thanks to PGS

Products with PGS Organic Council certification in Puducherry

Children in Puducherry are taking a fancy to a dates-based toffee over traditional chocolates to celebrate their birthdays.

The toffee is among the many organic products available at the local ‘uzhavar sandhai’ (farmers’shandy ). While ‘organic’ products are nothing new to Puducherry, thanks to the influence of the Ashram and Auroville, this is the first time the toffee and a range of other products such as millets, vegetables, fruits and rice grains have been certified here.

Unlike Tamil Nadu which has a government certification department for organic products, organic farmers in Puducherry had to depend on third party certification or sell without certification so far. This has changed with the introduction of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) in Puducherry.

PGS is a process in which a group of five or more small producers assess, inspect and verify the production practices of each other and collectively declare their produce organic. PGS involves the stakeholders on a direct level and holds them accountable. This means that even if one of the farmers violates the procedures set down by the PGS Organic Council India, the certification of the entire group is cancelled.

The PGS was launched in the country in 2011 through the National Centre of Organic Farming. The certification and use of logo is valid for a period of three years before it has to be renewed.

In Puducherry, NABARD, in association with the Keystone Foundation, conducted training for organic farmers through the NGO, Ekoventure, which is now the facilitator for the PGS certification. So far, two groups, the Balaraman Iyarkai Velanmai Kuzhu and the Thiruvalluvar Iyarkai Velanmai Kuzhu, have received certification.

“Normally, certification is a long process and an individual organic farmer would have to spend between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 20,000 and group certification could cost around Rs. 3 lakh. Under PGS, it is free and the paperwork is minimal and in the local language,” says S. Manimaran, coordinator at Ekoventure. “Certification cost is responsible for driving up the price of organic products and PGS would help bring it down,” says R. Chandrapurani, facilitator, Ekoventure. The peer appraisal system helps keep checks, she adds.

“There is a definite increase in demand for organic products with increased health awareness. There is a certain value attached to the term ‘organic.’ With the PGS, organic products can now reach the common man as product prices decrease,” says Uma Gurumurthy, assistant general manager of NABARD, Puducherry.

“Just as an ISI mark or AGMARK gives products a separate value, PGS will also bring about quality. PGS has also helped to bring traditional millets like kudiraivali and cumbu and products like gooseberry juice back on our dining table,” she says.