Citizens Being Deceived Sans Organic Food Testing Authority
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published January 16, 2022 | 03:10 PM
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jan, 2022 ) :The Covid-19 pandemic arena with its severe negativities has also given rise to some positive trends that includes adoption of organic foods by a considerable health conscious consumers to boost immunity system.
Although Pakistan is a little slow in embracing this healthy food culture, but the country in recent years has witnessed a considerable boom in production and consumption of organic commodities. Unfortunately, this has also enticed opportunists, a combo of some farmers and middle men, reportedly selling falsely claimed organic edibles to mint money and are�deceiving ignorant consumes.
A farmer who grows vegetables in the farm of an owner near Shehzad Town disclosed on condition of anonymity "�I am using urea fertilizer and pesticides on the directives of my owner to get maximum yield and anything produced here is claimed organic. They are deceptively sold in the market and even innocent customers travel all the way to our farm to pick veggies".
No doubt, he said, the soil before cultivation of a crop "is enriched with animal manure" but at later stages to attain quick and maximum produce chemicals were being used.
Talking to APP, Senior Scientific Officer, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Dr. Nausherwan Nobel Nawab and Founder of Desipoultry.co Mehryar Ali Khan unanimously said that, "With no authority in place currently to monitor the�authenticity of organic products sold, this poses problems at consumers' end." Mehryar, whose venture offers a range of organic fresh produce and finished goods, said term organic has become a" marketing gimmick" and unfortunately innocent people were being allured by fake sellers. But the only way consumers can assure the genuineness of a produce was to ask relevant questions, he suggested.
On this matter, Rustam Organic Dairy Farm's owner Muhammad Umar advised to compare the produce available commercially with that grown organically and there were "visible differences in terms of size, taste and shine".
The products available in the markets have more shine then organic produce, he informed.
Visiting the farms, he said, was another step the people can take as genuine organic farmers allow consumers to visit their farms "as seeing is believing." Dr Nobel said the PARC has no regulatory body and it was only providing guidelines to organic farmers on how to manage the growth of their crops without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Founder Pakistan Organic Association Qasim Tareen shared, "This body was formed to protect organic farms and reintroduce this thousands of years old farming technique." The association, Tareen said, "Provides training and help to the new and budding organic farmers and imparts awareness on benefits of going organic. It also keeps itself up-to-date on International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) standards and tries to adhere to them regularly".
Qasim Tareen suggested implementation of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), a locally focused quality assurance systems being used internationally to help reduce worries of the consumers and support organic farmers gain the trust of their clients.
� Tareen and other organic farmers are hopeful that sooner or later more farmers will join them in their cause for better health of the society and protection of the environment.
However, they all stressed for establishing an official regulatory body for strict check on fake organic edibles and sellers.
According to a 2018 report by IFOAM, only 0.1% of land in Pakistan comes under certified organic farming out of all organic farms worldwide.�Whereas, the report did mention that these farms are increasing in Pakistan with time.
Recent Stories
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
More Stories From Pakistan
-
Pakistan, UK discuss collaboration in education sector
19 minutes ago -
PMD forecast rain-windstorm/thunderstorm for various parts of country
59 minutes ago -
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
1 hour ago -
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
1 hour ago -
Earthquake jolts Karachi
2 hours ago -
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
2 hours ago
-
Police book youngster for abusing student for one year
2 hours ago -
Police arrest 23 suspects, recover stolen money, phones
2 hours ago -
Colorful cultural festival concludes at NUML
2 hours ago -
Immunization awareness week kicks off in Balochistan
2 hours ago -
Ministers visit Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital following roof collapse incident
2 hours ago -
IHC serves notices in petition against 'roti' price fixation
2 hours ago