Coimbatore: While a controversy is raging on over genetically modified crops, a group of people involved in organic and sustainable agriculture have launched a seed festival here to promote indigenous crops.
As many as 40 farmers and seed producers from Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana are showcasing heirloom seeds and some produce of traditional varieties of vegetables at the two-day Covai Seed Festival 2018, which began at Kaumaram Sushila International Residential School at Chinnavedampatti on Saturday.
The festival celebrates organic farming and forgotten traditional varieties developed and bred over centuries. Farmers said the crops suit the local climate and soil, require no fertilizers or pesticides to survive.
Seeds of green star okra, knol khol, green amaranth, watermelon, tambura gourd, multi-coloured maize and millets are on sale. “We just have the name of the vegetable. Its not accompanied by a number or variety identity, because they don’t have a variety name. The plants were traditionally cultivated in our farms,” said A Muniraju, a farmer from Hubli, who is attending his second seed festival, the first being in Chennai. “You can’t find them in a shop,” he told TOI.
Babuji, one of the organisers of the festival, said this was the eighth edition of the seeds festival in the state but being organized in Coimbatore for the first time. “We had been organizing the festival in Chennai every year and the response had been mind blowing. So, we decided to bring it to Coimbatore,” he said.
“These are seeds of varieties, which farmers used to cultivate before the green revolution. Small groups of farmers preserved them to pass on to the future generations. This festival will hopefully continue to motivate them and give them some good business,” Babuji added.
The festival also has stalls selling organic products made from agricultural goods such as food package boxes, plates, spoons and forks. They are biodegradable.
A seller from Mysore had jewellery made from seeds, copra and other farm products. There were stalls selling clothes made from organic cotton and natural dyes, traditional toys and even science experiments.
