Organic farm fest gives farmers a leg-up

KOCHI: The 16th edition of the organic farm fest being held at Ernakulam Town hall has a variety of events under its fold. The event promoted by Organic Kerala Charitable Trust and hosted by Kochi Corporation under its ‘Heal Kochi’ project started on March 11 will go on till tomorrow.

“We are organising the event amid many challenges. Farmers are struggling to survive despite having a good harvest. Covid has dented their hopes by bringing down the selling prices. Through the fest, we are hoping to provide relief to many of them,” said M M Abbas, member, Organic Kerala Charitable Trust.
A total of 42 stalls will be selling organic products. They will be open to the public from 9am to 9pm. 

“Apart from farmers in Kerala, over 60 agro institutions will contribute to the event. Besides, a society of 1,000 farmers from Kotagiri near Ooty has also joined us. We have been  getting decent support from the public so far,” he said.

Documentary on Western Ghats
Along with offering numerous products by farmers and agriculture groups across Kerala, the event will also witness the launch of a documentary produced by the farmers’ collective on the impact of climate change on Western Ghats. 

The 65-minute video is titled ‘Organic farming: A way of life for the sustenance of the living world’. The project took three months to execute and covers six districts. “We are stressing on the need for preserving Western Ghats for the future. Notable figures like Sunil P Elayidom, Harish Vasudevan, P T Thomas, M K Prasad, V S Vijayan, Indira Devi, and several farmers are also part of this project,” said Abbas.