Why does Organic food cost more than regular foods?

5 reasons Why Organic Food is more expensive

Here are the 5 reasons why Organic food costs more than conventional foods..

1. Lower Production with Natural Methods:

   Organic farming prohibits using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which are rampant in conventional farming.

   Natural farming methods like Cow dung fertilizers, biogas, and traditional pest repellents are utilized by organic farmers, which work at a natural pace, leading to lower produce.

   For instance, a regular farmer, using chemical fertilizers and pesticides is able to cultivate 600-800 kgs of legume on a 1 acre land.

   An Organic farmer, using natural methods would yield just 300-400 kgs of legume on 1 acre of land, which is 20% to 30% less than conventional produce.

   Pest and Weed Management: Organic farmers face challenges in managing pests and weeds without synthetic herbicides and pesticides.

   The absence of these chemicals can result in higher competition from weeds and increased crop loss due to pests, further impacting yields.

   After embracing these differences for sustainability and a safe environment, organic foods tend to be higher in price, primarily driven by lower production.

2. Organic Farming Production Cost:

   People often think that that organic farming requires less capital and labour as everything is in a natural way but this is a myth!

   Organic farming costs more than conventional chemical farming, where urea and synthetic compost help ramp up the production artificially.

   While organic farms generally have natural fertilizers, their costs are stormed by higher labour costs for weed control and crop management.

   Organic farmers require traditional tillin, planting, and harvesting methods, which means more labor costs.

   Read More: India’s First Bio Village Tripura: Promoting Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Farming

3. Low demand in traditional markets:

   Majority of conventional farmer can easily sell their produce in the traditional markets or mandis (wholesale markets). People buy their produce from local markets preferably.

   Organic farmers find it hard to sell thier natural produce in these local markets as the price is high and local markets may find it hard to buy these.

   After facing challenges in selling their produce, Organic farmers resort to finding customers themselves or sell to any organic brand, which requires logistics.

   Selling directly to customer or retailers can increase the logistics cost of organic farmers, leading to higher price for your organic produce.

4. Organic Certifications Cost:

   Organic certifications are the assurance of pure organic and natural produce.

   Certified Organic products undergo certification process to verify that these products are cultivated with sustainable farming and good environmental practises.

   High organic certification costs, required to display labels like USDA Organic in the US, or Organic Bharat in India, add to the price of organic produce.

   Certification costs includes application fees, inspections, and annual renewal charges to maintain the organic certification, which makes the organic food costlier.

5. Transition Challenges from Chemical Farming:

   Many farmers are now switching to Organic farming due to health benefits and rising demand among health-conscious individuals.

   Another factor that affects the cost of organic foods is the shift from conventional agricultural practises to organic farming methods, which can be challenging for farmers.

   Organic farmers require transition time of 1 or 2 years to get good soil fertility, arrange the certification,a and decide on their natural fertilzers.

   This transition period is marked by lower production, adjusting to the soil, and letting the ecosystem adapt to new organic practices, thus making the organic products costlier.