Organic food

Nurtured with care

Empowering Farmers

FARM TO FORK

Buying 24 Mantra from Sresta means you are a votary of the healthy, nutritious movement. Like our farmers and us, you have decided to keep the planet in a sustainable state. Reduce the harmful chemicals and pesticides, keep the air and water clean and of course, keep the soil alive.

From our end, we are monitoring the organic methods and assuring from seed to kitchen, every detail is given the attention it deserves. Actually, our practices stem from our values and beliefs – adhering to organic integrity, earning your trust, and creating a sustainable platform for our farmer friends.

UNIQUE PRACTICES

Detail, care, authenticity and traceability a Sresta promise.

We are basically farmers. We know how it is to be on an Indian farm- the challenges, weather, soil, and all the related practices. Our goal is to cultivate the land, the way nature loves it. Without pesticides, fertilizers are mandatory for us. Organic being a way and a well-practiced and detailed one at that demands we adhere to the principles of natural balance. Crops are grown the natural way, pests, weeds and more are attended to with natural homegrown solutions. Our farmers nurture a soil rich in organisms. In fact, our practices and partnering with them work towards keeping the soil alive and in a balance. Composting, pest control, is through natural farm resources. Our farmers and we know the climate and cycles of nature. Wherever needed and whenever sought, we provide guidance from the planet to the crop, rotation of crops and processes of harvest and storage.

Our role is to ensure that organic practices are done systematically and consistently. Over the years, we have perfected the micromanagement of all the relevant aspects.

From the farm to your fork it is organic all the way.

FARMER CARE

Farmers are our foundation. On them rests our organic journey. Therefore, understanding the farmer, creating processes that protect their interest, and encouraging them to be part of the organic way is something we have accomplished over the last few years.

Having found the ideal farmer, our next step is to ensure they are productively engaged. We encourage them to collectivize and educate them on an ongoing basis. With credit indebtedness for cultivation totally absent in organic farming, we adhere to the highest levels of ethics and transparency. The farmers enjoy the reassurance of a minimum profitable price or a market price + premium whichever is higher. Protected from the vagaries of the market, they are also saved the burden of being cheated while weighing (we have electronic balances) and deductions are an exception.

OUR STANDARDS

US, EU, and Indian Organic certifications are held by us.
Organic certification is a process that helps producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products to get their products certified through internationally accredited certification bodies such as Control Union, Onecert, etc. Organic certification is intended to assure quality and prevent fraud. “Certified organic” label is a product assurance for consumers worldwide.

The standards are laid down and administered in India by APEDA. The standard is called the NPOP – National Programme for Organic Production. Similarly, the US standard is called USDA NOP (National Organic Programme) standards, and the European Union standards are specified by regulation EC 834/2007

certified-logo

The Certification process

  • A farmer is required to engage in a number of activities, in addition to normal farming operations, to get the farm certified.
  • The farmer has to adhere to the organic standards, which cover in specific detail all aspects of farming, including storage, transport, and sale, allowable and disallowed substances.
  • Farm facilities and production methods must comply with the standards, which may involve modifying facilities, sourcing, and changing suppliers
  • Paperwork detailing previous three years farm history at the minimum and current set-up is very essential
  • Written annual production plan must be submitted, detailing everything from seed to sale
  • Each farm goes through multiple checks
    • Group supervision by other farmers in the group
    • Sresta associates regularly visit the fields typically at least once a fortnight
    • Internal inspections by the Sresta Internal standards compliance team
    • Annual on-farm inspections by the external certification agencies
    • Random Pesticide residue tests of soil, water, and the produce
  • For first-time farm certification, the farm soil must meet basic requirements such as being free from the use of chemicals for a few years, usually 3 to 4 years. This period is known as being in transition. Transitional crops are not considered fully organic.

Certification bodies

At 24 Mantras farming projects, products and processing facilities have been certified for EC 834 / 2007 standards, US NOP, and Indian NPOP organic standards. Most of the projects are certified by Control Union International and Onecert. We are registered with US FDA.

WHAT IS ORGANIC

Organic is away, a habit and a practice all rolled into one. It refers to a way of growing and processing food. It is also about the reliance on an ecological system that sustains itself on rich soil and proven traditional practices to grow crops and food that resists pests and diseases. Organic also means, the farmers don’t use toxic, persistent pesticides, fertilizers which are known to contaminate soil, air, water, and food. In fact, organic farmers and farming involve practices of rotating crops, deploying beneficial insects, using locally honed methods, adding composted manure and plant wastes to the soil.

Organic farmers are environmentally friendly. They choose solutions to the pests and disease problems that affect their crops in a way that does not damage and destroy the planet. Their wisdom is proven so are their practices.

CROP ROTATION

Seemingly simple, it rests on a sound understanding of the basics of biology and nature. Organic farmers alternate the crops grown in each field, rather than growing the same crop year after year (mono-cropping). They know that different plants contribute varying nutrients to the soil. By rotating crops, they ensure the soil is naturally replenished. This time-honored practice can eliminate the need for insecticides in many crops since the insect’s life cycle and habitat are interrupted and destroyed.

COVER CROPS

Organic farmers and entities like us are reiterating the importance of cover crops. These are species that can protect the soil, add nutrients, prevent weed growth, aerate the soil with deep root systems, and fertilize the soil by building organic matter when plowed under. Cover crops conserve and trap moisture, they are a rich ground for microflora and fauna. Earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms when they thrive in the soil, arrest the growth and prevent problematic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, diseases, and insects from proliferating.

RELEASE BENEFICIAL INSECTS

Organic farmers utilize natural predators to control pests that destroy their crops, which eliminates the need for chemical insecticides that remains in the soil for years.

COMPOST AND PLANT WASTES

If you have ever been to a farm, or a village you would see for yourself how the smart farmer knows the use of compost and natural wastes. The continuous cycling of naturally occurring materials helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients.

Organic we believe is also a healthy choice for farmers. One step forward to nurturing goodness and helping the environment.

Organic also means no use of chemicals in processing or dangerous food preservation methods like irradiation. It works on the scientifically validated age-old natural processing and preservation principles.

Better quality food, better planet, also means a better future for all of our children and us. Right? Well, it is a complex process this organic farming and way but has several long-lasting benefits for all of us.

Key benefits

No pesticides or harmful chemicals

  • Better nutrition – rich in antioxidants
  • Better taste
  • Better ecology
  • Sustainable -better planet for our children
  • Safe food
  • No water contamination
  • Farmers – better lives

10 reasons to go organic

  1. Protect children and your family members from cancer-causing pesticides
  2. Say goodbye to harmful chemicals in your diet
  3. Get the taste of health and nutrition
  4. Reduce health risks with Organic purity
  5. Eat foods adhering to international standards
  6. Protect the earth as organic farming is planet-friendly
  7. Prevent water contamination as there are no chemicals pollutants in organic farming
  8. Gain from the diversity of crops which is becoming a thing of the past
  9. Help small farmers and eliminate middlemen to create sustainable livelihoods
  10. Stay in harmony with nature