R. Durairaj, founder of Mother India Farms, on his experiments with organic fruit juice

R. Durairaj was on a business trip to Europe in the late 90s, when he first heard the term ‘organic’. “A German friend and I were at an inn on the Austrian border. The owner offered us what she described as a “delicacy form India.” It was an organic alphonso mango which cost 12 Euros – for just one!” Durairaj thought of his mango trees back in India — he had planted hundreds of them on his 200 acres of land in Dharmapuri. He realised then that he had in his hands a viable business venture and decided to develop it.
“I came back to India and started learning about organic farming practices. I met senior farmers, read books on techniques of preparing panchakavya and jeevamritham,” he recalls. “I realised that cultivating non-poisonous produce, free of synthetic pesticides, was something our ancestors were doing until a few years ago.” Durairaj started experimenting on his land. Apart from mangoes, he also planted millets, ginger and turmeric. “I applied for organic certification by agencies recognised by the European Union,” he says. “It took three years to get my land and produce certified organic, since they took the conversion period into account.”
It was the early 2000s, and despite his efforts, Durairaj found it difficult to market his produce in India. “I would package my mangoes in boxes and try and sell them in big cities. But back then, the awareness for organic food was just growing, and it was considered expensive.” Durairaj decided to tap into the European market. But he faced logistics issues when he tried to export his mangoes as air cargo. “Those days, roses were being exported in large quantities, and the boxes were too small to pack mangoes.”
Finally, in 2007, Durairaj decided to make mango pulp. “The mango belt of Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri has plenty of pulp industries,” he explains. He exported the pulp to Europe to great success. Thus was born Mother India Farms. “I motivated some 250 farmers in the surrounding regions to go organic. Soon, we were raising organic mangoes in over 2,500 acres.” This included rare varieties such as rumani, senthooram and rasapuri. He gradually started cultivating fruits such as pineapples and guavas, and caught the organic wave that was picking up in India.
“For the Indian market, we make the Organa range of organic fruit juices,” says Durairaj. Headquartered at Bengaluru, Mother India Farms’ juices are available in organic outlets across Chennai. “We’re also expanding to places such as Coimbatore, Pollachi and Madurai,” he says. Durairaj hopes to encourage as many farmers as possible to go organic. “I also want to take organic food to the common man,” he says.
I motivated some 250 farmers in the surrounding regions to go organic. Soon, we were raising organic mangoes in over 2,500 acres.

Source : The Hindu