Mint fresh

The pandemic and resultant lockdown have meant that farmers’ collectives and indigenous foods aggregator platforms are doing roaring business as interest in sustainable choices, contactless shopping and ethical eating gathers new supporters

At the start of the pandemic, Manish More, a farmer in Junnar tehsil, grew anxious when the demand for tomatoes dropped drastically in Pune. “Customers were willing to pay only Rs 2-R3 for a kilo, whereas in Mumbai, the ongoing rate was Rs 50. We needed to target the right market,” he says. With the help of a friend from Mulund, More, 37, teamed up with a dozen other growers and began supplying vegetables in the central suburb. Knowing that hawking tomatoes alone wouldn’t yield much, they made assorted vegetable baskets of 7 kg and 9 kg. The consumption patterns showed that exotic veggies like asparagus, mushroom, sweet corn, broccoli, celery and lettuce were fast movers, making them collaborate with farmers who specialised in this produce. “It began to take the form of a movement. What we also realised is that it was not enough to simply supply organic vegetables in urban pockets. We needed to know what to [supply] where, and to whom.” In the last one-and-half years, they have spent Rs 16 lakh on digital marketing and building an app. This, More sees not as an expenditure, but investment. From 100 baskets a day in 2020, they now sell 1,600 on an average. His year-old, certified farmer-producer company, Kisan Konnect, includes 1,200 growers.

The demand for organically grown, indigenous and sustainable foods has been on the rise for the last few years, but it’s the Coronavirus pandemic that has induced a behavioural shift like no other, observe experts. As per an ASSOCHAM study, the Indian organic market stood at over Rs 1,200 crore last year, and this year it is expected to cross Rs 2,000 crore. The change is being seen globally, as well. A market research conducted last year by Meticulous Research revealed that the global organic food market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.2 per cent from 2020 to 2027 to reach USD 272.18 billion by 2027. 
According to Fiona Arakal, executive director at Ishka Farms, spread over 365 acres of agricultural land in Niravi Pudhupatti village, Tuticorin district, the pandemic has brought mixed luck for farmers. “There are some, who are poised with direct accessibility to the market, and therefore, have fared better. This includes people like us, who deal with specialty foods. But farmers in general have been hit badly in this country. We don’t have cold chain facilities and the modes of transport to deliver produce to urban centres have been disrupted.”

The grape syrup from Sugarfreelicious is made using fresh Baramati grapes. This concoction is called Petimezi and is an ancient food, commonly used across the Mediterranean and especially Greece, not only as a sweetener, but also as a remedy

Organic farmers have managed to ride the wave because people are now interested in the provenance of their food, thinks Arakal.

In 2016, Ishka farm became the first organised commercial farm in India to grow capers in four graded sizes. The prickly perennial plant is native to the Mediterranean and some parts of Asia. These small, green buds are known to lend a piquant sour and salty flavour to dishes, and can be added to salads, used as a condiment, or chopped finely for dressings and sauces. The farm produces small, medium, large and extra-large capers. The size depends on the stage at which the bud is harvested and also determines the taste. “Urban centres are buying more because they are cooking exotic dishes at home. Capers were not an everyday item. The moringa powder [drumstick leaves] that we make has received enormous attention. Earlier, those interested in fitness were buying it. Now, your average household is also contemplating how to use moringa.”

Walnuts from Kashmir Rare, a homegrown venture that offers organic produce from the Valley. Founder Manjot Chawla Andrabi says customers are willing to spend the extra buck if they are assured of quality

Ishka is available on Amazon India, but they were not part of the “essential items” in the lockdown. “When the government allowed the sale of non-essential items in May last year, we saw unprecedented sales for both capers and moringa. In fact, the latter grew by 300 per cent, so much so that we could not replenish stocks soon enough.”

Where Arakal was not as lucky, was with transportation. During the pandemic, they couldn’t transport their goods via the railways, since trains were only ferrying essentials. “We pack our products in glass. The breakages are far less [when transporting in a train], as we know that the product is only going to move from the bogie when it reaches the destination. We are now compelled to resort to lorries, which means if someone accidentally kicks a container, we are done for.” It’s for this reason that they have had to transition from only using natural materials for packing to bubble wrap. This was never a part of their sustainability story, but they have had to adapt in order to survive. “I don’t think many farmers have that option,” she shares.

Kareena Sharma and Niharika Mathur

More agrees. The growers in his network don’t have the wherewithal to reach urban pockets on their own. He has therefore, hired a resource to manage transportation from the village to their markets in Mumbai, Pune and Shrirampur. “Normally, any product that farmers harvest reaches the end consumer within four to five days. They [farmers] go to the local mandi, where the dalal or intermediary facilitates the movement of the produce to the retailer. In our case, 10 pm is the cut off time for placing orders. After this, we inform the farmers about the requirement and keep it ready for our transport person to keep it up.” Strict quality parameters have been introduced—no external damage to any item, each carrot needs to be 8 to 9 cm-long, bottle gourd should weigh 350 to 500 gm. “Earlier, growers would assume that if they’d send a 2 kg gourd, they’d get more money. But that’s not the case.  A  350 gm gourd fetches a better price than a 2 kg one. We have tried to make them understand the economics of it.” 
 
Dr Suresh Dhumal is an agronomist and professional hydroponist. According to him, one of the most noticeable changes to have emerged in the pandemic is the entry of non-agricultural players into the agricultural space. “Since last year, pharmaceuticals and agriculture have been the only two sectors that have been operational. Everybody wants to diversify into agriculture because it has other benefits in terms of subsidies in some projects. But, they don’t want to get into traditional agriculture. They’d much rather get involved in high-tech agro businesses such as hydroponic cultivation. The only drawback is its huge capital cost, which hinders the general farmer from getting into it. People who want to diversify their business already have the capital.” 

Ishka Farms, spread over 365 acres in Niravi Pudhupatti village, Tuticorin, is the first organised commercial farm in India to grow capers in four graded sizes. Their in-house, on-site facility for all post-harvest activities, ensures that the goodness of the produce is not lost between processing and transport

In 2016, Raghav Gupta, an economics and finance graduate from Toronto University, founded Oateo. The Mumbai-born entrepreneur’s research revealed a wide gap in the healthy foods segment, particularly the insufficient number of suppliers of oats. In 2019, his company won the Presidential award for the Best Export Brand. “I think a 50 to 60 per cent market shift [towards oats] has happened only in the last one-and-a-half  years. The reason I can conclusively say this is because earlier, oats were eaten predominantly in South India. The breakfast staple in the north continued to be paratha. Not anymore. What we have figured from store data is that Uttar Pradesh is the fastest growing market [for oats].” Muesli is a close second. “Grandparent grains” like ragi, bajra and jowar have become the new “cool”, he says about millets. 

Although Gupta’s brand was launched five years ago, they began actively marketing it on digital platforms only in December last year. They tied up with Disney and got Avengers’ characters featured on their packs.  “You may think that Avengers has a young audience, but I’m 35 and I watch it, my father who is 60 also watches it, and so does my five-year-old. It’s the case with young families. Kids don’t associate with Superman and Batman anymore, but with Captain America and the Hulk.”

What’s accelerating the growth is contactless delivery. “People want orders delivered fast, to their doorstep, with no physical contact. I guess the best example would be my mother, who until the pandemic would make it a point to go to stores because she believes online shopping was dubious. She has now converted to buying on ecommerce sites. Like her, several others have made this transition.”

Seeing the demand they have pivoted to using oats to make bran, beverages and flour. To cater to people who are pressed for time in the mornings, they have also introduced an overnight oats kit, where you prep it and leave it in a jar, so that you can have it for breakfast the next day. 

Dr Suresh Dhumal, agronomist and professional hydroponist and Raghav Gupta, founder, Oateo

Smaller brands are as bullish about the opportunities that the pandemic has thrown up. Niharika Mathur launched Sugarfreelicious, a healthy food brand in September last year. The offerings include ginger-jaggery chai sweetener, made by melting organic jaggery (sourced from a local farm in Gujarat) that transforms your regular chai to ‘adrak wali chai’ and date syrup, made from 100 per cent Omani Fard dates. This sweet, smoky, refined sugar-free natural sweetener is a direct substitute for white sugar. “We even have a grape syrup, made using fresh Baramati grapes. In fact, this concoction is called Petimezi and is an ancient food, popular for its nutritious qualities and delightful flavour. It was very commonly used across the Mediterranean, especially in Greece, not only as a sweetener, but also as a remedy. 

We are essentially going back to nani ma ke nuske,” says Mathur. Although the brand is present only on Instagram, the venture is getting noticed by health junkies.
According to her, there couldn’t be a better time for small, experimental ventures like hers. “I realised that it doesn’t matter if you’re a big or small brand. It’s what you are offering that matters. And right now, it’s healthy, sustainable food that counts.” Mathur says she dabbles in seasonal produce because that’s the only way to remain sustainable. The recipes for her range of jams depend on what’s fresh and most importantly “in-season”. “The USP of our jams is that they are paired with robust spices to create a balanced, natural refined sugar-free jam, keeping the natural flavours at the forefront. For instance, we have the kesar mango plus elaichi, apple plus cinnamon.” They have also converted their date syrup into a zero-waste product. “The seed of the date is not thrown away. Instead, it is dried, cleaned and roasted and made into a coffee powder, which is a decaffeinated black coffee. The seed, in fact, 
is more nutritional than the date itself.” 
 
Manjot Chawla Andrabi, who runs Kashmir Rare, a young homegrown venture that offers  saffron, walnut, and almond from the farms in the Valley, says people are willing to spend more if they are assured of quality. “They want to know where the produce is coming from and what goes into it. Earlier, a lot of produce from Kashmir was exported and wouldn’t even make it to other parts of the country. But now, the demand has risen. People have realised that health is the only wealth, and if it means spending a few extra bucks, that’s okay.” 

Like Mathur, Kareena Sharma and her brother Krish conceptualised Oh! Avocado in the pandemic. She says when it comes to the popular bright green fruit, there is no “organic” certification. She has tied up with growers in South India. “If you ask the sellers, they will say it’s organic, because everything there is cultivated in the forest and the farmers don’t really care about the certification. I always make it a point to emphasise on the goodness of the fruit and that they are naturally grown. Fresh avocados ripen or “soften” after they have been harvested. Once they ripen, you need to consume it within two days.”

India Organic Certification is a label given to organic products after validation, which ensures that the product or raw materials used in the product were grown without the use of chemical fertiliser,  pesticide residue, or induced hormones. The certification is issued by testing centres accredited by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the National Programme for Organic Production of the Government of India.

According to Dr Dhumal, it’s important to differentiate between pesticide-free and organic. “In organic farming, only organic pesticides are used to prevent and control the pests and hence the produce is not detrimental to human health. It [organic farming] also aids in maintaining good soil health.”

Meanwhile, Sharma is working towards retaining the customers sorry they earned last year. “During the first wave, there was a sharp rise in demand. Now, many players have entered the market. For a person like me who specialises in a niche product, retention is as important as growth.”  And that’s where digital marketing is helping brands reach out to more customers.

Pratik Pandey, who handles marketing for Kisan Konnect, says they tied up with popular Marathi actors to promote sales. “Because we are a small, farmer-driven brand, most of them did it pro bono. We sent them some fruits and veggies as a token of gratitude. But as soon as we put up videos and pictures of them promoting it, we saw more buyer requests. We want to offer value in terms of product. We are delivering within a day or two of harvest compared to the regular mandis [that take five]. Every product needs to be A grade and we are ready to go the extra mile to achieve that.”

1,600
Number of baskets Kisan Konnect sells daily as compared to 100/day in 2020

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