Organic Food

p a n a c h e

An inorganic research It’s almost fashionable to eat organic food, but a new research in UK attempts to crop the growth of the organic food movement...

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ight from their school days, Indians have been taught about the Green Revolution that swept across the country in the 60s and 70s and how it revolutionised the way farming was done. By using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and modern, high-yield seeds, farmers were able to swiftly multiply their production and presto, it had turned out to be the boon Indians had long been praying for! Except, as years went by, farmers began to suffer from respiratory problems, memory disorders, dermatological conditions etc. due to contact with or inhalation of the insecticide sprays. Pesticide residues began to be found in the systems of people, and some pesticides were found to even be potent enough to do serious damage to a child’s nervous system. It is of little 124

wonder then that both farmers and consumers have steadily been taking a U-turn and going back to naturally cultivated ‘organic’ food. So when London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) recently took out a paper which said, “...there are no important differences in the nutrition content, or any additional health benefits, of organic food when compared with conventionally produced food,” people in support of the organic movement were left aghast, while companies involved in making fertilisers, pesticides and the like cheered. “Anything which is polluted, has to have a problem,” says

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MD & Global CEO of Organic India, Mr. Krishan Guptaa. “Recently, I was in Malihabad, which is in Lucknow, and it is where we grow Dussehri mangoes. The first thing a farmer told me was, ‘Sir, we were very happy 20 years ago, till the time we were not using any sprays or insecticides on our plants.’ They say they started spraying once and after some years they had to spray twice, and now they have to spray at least four times to keep the crop protected. They were saying that in cattle there were problems, in the water there are problems, and when they are spraying this stuff they are inhaling all the

“When your inputs are wrong, which is pesticides and chemicals, how can your output be good?”

problems! This is why they have to be on regular medicine. So, when someone comes up with a research like this, I get the shock of my life! When your inputs are wrong, which is pesticides and chemicals, how can your output be good?” Mr. Guptaa’s reaction isn’t an isolated one, for the scientists at LSHTM have been flooded with mail lambasting their research. Regular users of organic food haven’t been moved by the research either. So much so that in Edinburgh, a Little Green Map will be made available from 14th September, which will enable people to directly go to the stores selling organic and environment friendly products. Most supporters of organic food say the research defies commonsense, and that it seems that some people are trying very hard to protect their market. The LSHTM’s study searched over 50,000 papers, and a total of 162 relevant articles were identified that were published over a 50year period. “They have included studies from the 50s, 60s and 70s for their research data. And at that time most of the earth was still good, it was not abused. I don’t know who paid for this research, for that is the only doubt that crops in my mind!” exclaimed Mr. Guptaa, resonating thoughts of proponents of organic food all over the world. The only conclusive point that does come out of this entire brouhaha, is that very little research on organic food has been done till now, and food scientists need to get to work pronto! Anu Gulmohar business&economy