Organic India Diversifying Its Product Portfolio To Include More Staples And Commodities

Organic India is rapidly increasing its reach beyond organic tea, herbs, and supplements to include organic essentials, commodities, and food products.

"So far, Organic India has specialised in herbal infusions and health supplements. But now we're going to go into a few more areas. Subrata, Group Managing Director (MD), Organic India, stated, "We are entering the consumer kitchen, which is exciting for the firm to create a far-reaching influence on the customer."

Organic India, founded in the 1990s, began by selling Holy Basil (tulsi) infusions, but it was the first company to push the notion of whole herb by placing it totally in a capsule - a concept that is now gaining on throughout the world.

Getting Into Organic Staples

Dutta, who was named group MD of Organic India in February this year, said the company was moving into organic commodities and food products because it feels it has a network in all regions, in addition to direct and indirect connections with farmers.

“We want to get into as many organic essentials as possible. We'll have red, black, brown, and white rice, as well as pulses and spices like turmeric, chilli, and jaggery. He said, "We're also branching out into organic cooking oils and nutri cereals."

Buy Directly From Farmers

Organic India, which has been acquired by FabIndia, will purchase these basics from farmers directly. "As the amount of their sales increases, our acquisition of basics will have a greater influence on farmers' livelihoods." We will also have a significant influence on consumers. Through our goods, we will be able to connect the farmer with the consumer,” he explained.

The firm buys directly from 2,300 farmers in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Jalore, Rajasthan, Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, and Rahat, on the Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border, who cultivate them in clusters. "Besides," the Organic India representative explained, "we buy indirectly from a much bigger set of farmers."

"We work with farmers one-on-one to help them switch to organic farming and provide technical assistance." "We have our own staff of agricultural professionals who guide them through the process of transitioning from non-organic to organic farming," he explained.

Organic India is certified by the National Program for Organic Production, which means that anyone it buys from will be certified as long as they follow the rules and regulations.

The firm's main priority is to verify that farmers follow organic agricultural guidelines. "We offer know-how and knowledge, as well as assistance with the certification procedure." If a farmer is a member of the organic cluster, we supply seeds, advice on how to increase productivity, and assistance with compost farming to improve soil quality. It also assists farmers in learning how to grow new plants," he added.

Growing Crops In Groups

Before their food is picked up by the company, growers must go through a lengthy process. During the first two years of the conversion, farmers are prohibited from using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and they are also prohibited from marketing their food as organic. "We'll have an issue even if a neighbouring farmer sprinkles insecticide." "This is why organic farming is done in groups," he explained.

Farmers around Rahat region have changed to organic farming as a result of this. Farmers are now being pushed to develop alternatives for imported organic goods, which is one of the beneficial effects of such a plan.

"We now have farmers who are effectively growing chamomile organically." It was previously imported," remarked the MD of the Organic India Group.

After the corporation produced it experimentally on its environmentally-controlled farms, organic farming of chamomile, a daisy-like plant of the Asteraceae family used as herbal infusions for traditional treatment, was promoted.

"We wanted to observe how it grew in Indian farmers, so we tried." Then we went to the farmers and informed them that if they planted chamomile, we would buy it and help them double their income. "We also assisted them in growing it," he added.

Farmers that plant chamomile are now obtaining greater returns and yields than they were previously getting from wheat or other foodgrains.

Organic India made its workers visit the farms on a regular basis to resolve any concerns that arose as farmers adapted to the new herb. "We've kept the herb's quality by indigenizing it." "It's now available to consumers at a reasonable price," Dutta added.

Expansion In The Double Digits

"We use a traceability system to make our purchases." "Every ingredient can be tracked back to its source," Dutta explained.

Organic India is steadily expanding into tier II cities, having already established itself in metropolitan and tier I areas. "We're doing it in a controlled manner because we collect user input after every launch and make the necessary improvements," he explained.

Organic India is also attempting to make its packaging as environmentally friendly as possible, as well as technologically modern, in order to minimise environmental impact.

In response to a query, Dutta stated that organic products account for less than 1% of global consumption, but that conversion to organic farming is increasing by double digits. “Organic vegetable consumption is fast increasing, particularly following the Covid epidemic, as people have becoming more health conscious,” he stated.

People are concerned about immunity and healthy living, thus organic products have been increasingly popular in the last year and a half, he noted.