In an interview to VSK AP Shri. Kumar Swamy has given a brief insight into BKSAP pilot project Gau Adharitha Vyavasayam.

In an interview to Vishwa Samvad Kendra Andhra Pradesh, Shri. Kumar Swamy ,Organizing Secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh Andhra Pradesh (BKSAP) has given a brief insight into BKSAP pilot project “Gau Adharitha Vyavasayam” (organic farming).

The pilot project is currently functional and has been adopted by farmers from seven districts of Andhra Pradesh who are selling their products through Kisan Sangh Cooperative Society retail outlets. This project has been helpful in providing employment opportunities for youth.

During the course of the interview Shri.Kumar Swamy  emphasized the importance of Gau Adharitha Vyavasayam by pointing out to the following facts.

For high crop yields the farmers  are using large amount of fertilizers and pesticides which has caused  food contamination at alarming levels. As a result of this whatever we are consuming is nothing but pesticide coated food items which in turn damage our health leading to new diseases as well as degrading our immune system. Due to this, in our country we spend most of our income on medical expenses.

This trend of high crop yields started during green revolution in India with a slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” with an intention to avoid and reduce deaths due to hunger and successive governments have encouraged this movement by giving subsidies for purchasing fertilizers and pesticides. This has lead to increase in cancer cases in India.

Medical research has concluded that, now-a-days the chances are higher for a new born to have a heart or a kidney problem. This is due to mother’s intake of high pesticide laden food items and the traces of which is passed onto the new born via mother’s milk. Medical research  also suggests that, people living in rural areas have higher chance of developing cancer due to frequent use of fertilizers and pesticides.

In India, Punjab has high number of cancer patients from farming community which is due to rampant  use of fertilizers and pesticides for good crop yields. Due to increasing number of cancer patients now government has introduced a cancer treatment train.

Taking stock of this situation Bharatiya Kisan Sangh Andhra Pradesh wing has started a campaign named “Aarogya Andhra Pradesh”. It’s intention and motto is to make Andhra Pradesh a healthy state. For that Kisan Sangh has introduced “Gau Adharitha Vyavasayam” (organic farming) without using fertilizers and pesticides and it has launched awareness and training programmes to encourage farmers to adopt Gau Adharitha Vyavasayam. A slow change has been observed and several farmers have adopted Gau Adharitha Vyavasayam.

The main problem which the farmers are facing in this organic farming  is a platform to sell and market their produce.  The Kisan Sangh has responded by  forming a “Farmers’ Cooperative Society”, an registered society through which the farmers can sell their produce  to the consumers without any middlemen. In Vijayawada city, the society is runninge four shops and  each shop has a daily sale of 20K to 30K.