It has about 53% of arable land – land available for cultivation of crops as compared to a measly average of about 11% for the rest of the world. It has some feathers in it’s cap as the second highest fruit and vegetable producer in the world, 6th largest producer of fish and such like but still doesn’t make up to the top 10 food exporting countries.If it weren’t for some severe infrastructure and technology issues, there is actually stopping for this gigantic food bowl. With large tracts of arable land, inexpensive labour and high-quality produce tumbling out of the barns, there is a potential so huge that sometimes, the scope and scale is almost unbelievable.

However, if one had to point out at one single single reason as to why the Indian agricultural industry is such a laggard when pitted against the global standards, it could be the pathetic state of the logistics, distribution and and an inefficient supply chain. India faces an acute problem of large amounts of food wasted away due to the lack of a proper cold storage, cold chain and frozen food distribution system. If only this was in place, huge amounts of food could have been processed into some kind of value added foods and sold both locally and abroad.

Annually, there is usually a large amount of such agricultural produce that is waste away. If there were cold storage systems, efficient cold chain, logistics and distribution companies, it could have been possible to process these primary products into newer, secondary products and resold to consumers locally and internationally. A strategy needs to be carved out for the growth of this industry and a lot of investment action is yet to see some real action. Investment in cold storage, cold chain distribution, installation of food processing plants across the country, applied research on harvesting technologies an a rapid development of the food retail industry are all necessary steps that would ensure an organic growth in this sector.

A cold chain is basically a logistics system, which helps in maintaining and providing a series of facilities for ensuring ideal storage conditions for the persihables from the point of origin to the point of sale. A well developed and efficiently organized cold chain reduces wastage, spoilage and helps keeps the perishables intact thereby helping to maintain the quality of the harvested food products ultimately making the whole system cost effective to the farmers and that which ensures top-notch quality to the end user.

Firstly, you should be aware of how to recognize an organic food. Organic foods have a label which says Certified Organic. It is easy to find on the label and you should look for this before you buy. If it is hard to find then it probably is not there. Do not be fooled by products that say organic but are not certified or products that use the word natural or other variations of the word organic.

The preparation of organic foods is highly regulated. Not just anyone can go out and sell organic food. There are strict standards in order for the organic foods to be certified by Quality Assurance International. Truly organic foods are of the highest standards. The genuine products have the QAI labels, certifying them as fit for human consumption. Organic food products are often better tasting, helping us to overcome our slavery to food additives. Try buying some organic vegetables and steam them. Steaming as well holds the flavor of vegetables. You will find you need less butter and salt on organic vegetables. You will be very surprised at how good they taste and how much longer they stay fresh.

Of course you will pay more for organic foods but as they become more popular you will find that the prices will come down. I think this is one of the main drawbacks. A lot of people want to go organic but just do not feel they can afford it. A good suggestion is to buy organic when you can afford them so you get times when you are obtaining more nutrition. Supporting the organic growers in this manner will ensure that the price will eventually go down as more and more people make a point of buying them. Remember that some grocery stores give up on supplying organic vegetables because people do not buy them.

The naturally grown foods are also known to counter a number of diseases. For example, the products tend to lessen the chances of getting cancer. The chemicals used in a number of pesticides are said to have elements that increase the risk of getting cancer. Unfortunately, this is an issue that is hidden from many people. The chemicals used for a variety of tasks such as killing weeds and insects are considered to be harmful. However, they are still used pretty widely, and their baleful effects are well packed within most of the farm products that are still largely on sale. Imagine, you go out and see those beautiful fresh vegetables at the supermarket and they all contain many chemicals. You think you are eating healthy but you really are not. You can easily do a search on the web as to what the standard chemicals are in a particular vegetable. Different vegetables contain different chemicals sometimes over 10 chemical in a single type of vegetable. It actually is sickening to think about. You would not get the chemicals in organic vegetables.