Organic haats being organised in Dehradun are attracting a healthy number of vegetable buyers with Doonites apparently according more importance to organic foods these days.
At the initiative of Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board, organic haats are being organized every Sunday and Thursday in Dehradun, where local farmers come with their organic produce grown without any chemical fertilizers. While the Sunday organic haat takes place in Vikas Bhawan at Survey Chowk, the organic haat on Thursday is organized at Sahastradhara Road. Health conscious people from various walks of life turn up at these haats to purchase organic vegetables and cereals. While buyers get best of local organic vegetables, farmers’ economy is also getting strengthened in the process. The small and marginal farmers, who have little harvest are benefited the most as they get a market to sell home-grown organic produce.
A farmer from Maldevta, Ashish Vyas, who has taken to organic farming in a big way, asserts that the haats have proved to be of much benefit for both farmers and consumers of Dehradun. He said while farmers of Dehradun are getting right price for their produce, the consumers are getting their choice vegetables.
Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board’s Tikaram Uniyal, who has been instrumental in organising these haats, pointed out that the haats were the board’s initiative to provide local farmers the right price for their produce. He asserted that the organic board ensures that all the vegetables and cereals being sold in these haats are totally organic. Many farmers from various areas of Dehradun like Raipur, Doiwala, Vikasnagar and Badowala have taken to organic farming, he said.
Doonite Rajeev Sharma disclosed that he was a regular visitor to these haats. “These haats sell organic vegetables, which are very rare to get from other vegetable markets,” he said, while adding that with rising health consciousness the people are understanding the importance of organic vegetables. Set up May 19, 2003, Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board has been working to enhance organic activities in agriculture and allied sectors like horticulture, medicinal aromatic plants and herbs and animal husbandry in Uttarakhand.