organic certification

Training programmes have been organized for the farmers on certification and methodology under PGS system. All the farmer members have pledged to grow crops using organic methods and follow all the systems required for PGS certification.

They are all given a copy of Indian Organic Standards in Telugu. The standards are also printed in flex poster and displayed in sangha, so that everyone reads and adhere to them. The sangha is again divided into 5 sub groups called brindams. The farmers having adjacent fields in one area form one brindam. The monitoring becomes easy, as all members in brindam know what is happening in his/her neighbour’s field. With the help of sangha volunteer, all the farmers started maintaining diaries and the needed documents. The sangha meets twice a month on specific dates to discuss various issues. PGS is put as an agenda point in all the discussions.

Inspection visits are made to all the farmer fields by all the group members.  Usage of chemical fertliser by any farmer will be put in the large group meeting by the respective brindam members for further discussion. The sangha discusses and finds out the reality and rejects the certificate to the farmer, if found to be using chemical fertilisers. Depending on the situation and sincerity of the farmer, s/he may be given a chance to continue in the group on his/her promise for not using chemical fertilisers again.

The Inspection sheets are filled up by brindam members and given to the sangha with the recommendations for approving or denying certification. Usually these sheets of all farmers are put in sangha meeting and discussed case by case. The approved list of farmers for PGS certification is then prepared and sent to Timbaktu Collective, the regional council.

The consolidated data is sent to PGS Organic India Council every year. The certificates for the approved sanghas are received from the PGSOIC and the certificates are displayed in the sangha offices. In first three years, the produce of the farmer is treated as ‘organic-in-conversion’ and from fourth year it is certified organic. Till now 290 farmers are certified organic while remaining 600 farmers are under conversion.
Please visit http://www.pgsorganic.in/ for more details

You can also
Why organic food is good for you
Read about our products
And read interesting recipes on how to cook using these grains and flours