For the residents of Pinarayi panchayat, getting organic vegetables during the lockdown is just a tap away.
Veetu Chanda, a WhatsApp group formed by C. Madhavan Memorial Library in collaboration with Pinarayi West Vegetable Cluster and Youth Volunteers, has not only provided a platform for people to get fresh vegetables but has also helped farmers sell their produce at a time when shops refused to take vegetables or wanted them at throwaway prices.
The farmers had been in trouble and did not know what to do with the harvested vegetables. It was then that the library committee formed the WhatsAppp group, said committee president K. Bhaskaran. The response was overwhelming and many people from the panchayat and outside placed orders for the vegetables listed in the group, he added.
Vegetables grown by 50 farmers in the area were sold through the social networking platform, and they were delivered to customers by volunteers registered with the group, said Mr. Bhaskaran.
The produce is weighed and packed by farmers and members of the library committee. The library has also been distributing free vegetable kits. The committee made bags to pack vegetables to be delivered to houses.
The WhatsApp group, which was formed in the first week of April, has already delivered vegetables worth ₹l lakh to customers. The initiative tremendously helped farmers, who were able to earn more money than they could have imagined during the lockdown, said Mr. Bhasakaran.
