Beginning on September 15, customers will be able to purchase chemical-free, fresh, natural products directly from the farmers at the State Secretariat complex in Chotta Shimla, the Himachal Pradesh University campus in Summerhill, and Krishi Bhawan in Boileauganj.
The State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU) of the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) of the Himachal Pradesh government is assisting the farmers in three blocks adjacent to Shimla (Mashobra, Basantpur, and Totu) to sell their fresh chemical-free fruits, vegetables, and other products like ghee, pickles, and other items to the consumers at these designated spots on wheels at reasonable prices.
Every Friday from 1pm to 2.30pm at the State Secretariat in Chotta Shimla, and from 3pm to 4pm on the campus of HPU, a mobile van will be stationed there with natural veggies and other food for sale. After the sale of organic vegetables on the HPU campus, the same mobile van will be stationed at Krishi Bhawan, Boileauganj, from 4.15 to 5.30 p.m.
We will test this in the state capital since customers prefer to purchase organic, chemical-free fruits, vegetables, and other items. According to Hemis Negi, state project director for PK3Y, “based on the success, we will have more sale spots for chemical-free natural produce in Shimla and we can then replicate it in other districts.”
From several farmer clusters located in three blocks in the Shimla district, almost 200 farmers participate in the process of maintaining the regular supply chain. The CETARA (Certified Evaluation Tool for Agricultural Resource Analysis)- Natural Farming certification procedure, developed by PK3Y, certifies all of the farmers involved in this for natural products.
The leaders of the farmer clusters would make sure that the weekly maintenance of the supply chain for the fresh organic products. The idea of enabling the farmers to sell their natural food directly via a mobile van is now being implemented, despite the fact that the farmers have been selling their goods in their own ways and the PK3Y has been working on the sustainable marketing mechanism for the farmers. It is important to note that the SPIU has developed operating procedures for the mobile van.
A Farmer Producer Company (FPC) fellow from the SPIU would be assigned to assist PK3Y in facilitating the sale of organic produce at the designated locations. The PK3Y was established in Himachal Pradesh five years ago with the goal of promoting organic farming in the greater interest of consumer health and sustainable agriculture. This chemical-free, inexpensive, and environmentally beneficial agricultural method is used partly or entirely on 24,000 hectares of land by around 1.70 lakh farmers in Himachal Pradesh.
Subhash Palekar, a recipient of the Padma Shri award, developed a natural farming method that is based on domestic cows. Farmers may make all agricultural inputs on the farm using native cow dung, urine, jaggery, gram flour, and locally available leaves, which lessens their reliance on the market. Natural farming practices don’t utilize artificial pesticides or fertilizers, thus the product is wholesome and nutritious. Studies conducted in Himachal Pradesh by the State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU) as well as by international organizations have confirmed the advantages of the approach for sustainable agriculture.