Women, farmers K Chandrashekar Rao priority, says Mahmood Ali

Hyderabad: Awareness needs to be created about organic farming and state government will be open to giving subsidies, said home minister Mahmood Ali at the inaugural of the Women of India Organic Festival, which is being held in the city for the first time on Wednesday. The festival, hosted at Shilparamam, is being attended by women farmers and entrepreneurs in the organic sector from across 15 states. It will be hosted till February 10 and will showcase organic products including natural dyed fabric, jaggery, grains and seeds among others. ‘The Vegan Project’ and a food court with cooked-on-site organic de-licacies are available. Organised on the theme, ‘Good for women, good for India. Good for you,’ the festival intends to highlight health and environmental advantages of organic goods.

Mr Mahmood Ali said, “Organic food is important. Using pesticides for cultivation of fruits and vegetables is leading to health problems. The older generation used to make everything at home, but the modern generation purchases everything from outside and this impacts health.”

He urged the Centre to develop means to promote organic food. He said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao gives priority to women and farmers and the state had achieved 29.8 per cent growth due to the schemes he had drawn up. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ajay Tirkey, additional secretary, union ministry of women and child development said that Hyderabad was picked for the festival to make a foray in the south because it is a progressive state. “Telangana people are more aware of the issues related to farming which other states take time to understand,” Mr Tirkey said and cited the examples of Mr Ponnam Mallaiah who pioneered organic farming in Enabavi, Warangal, and a farmer from Adilabad who produces organic produce on 10 acres. He said that people were working in different groups and there was a need to bring them together and mainstream organic farming.