“Before my mother was diagnosed with cancer, everything was going smoothly. I would say I was living the typical teenage life. Boys, clothes, and friends mattered most to me. Unfortunately, I had never really taken the time to think about how truly fragile life could be. Who and what I cared most about was my mother. My mother, Asima Mahananda, was a social worker and Mahila Commission member. She had done many good things for society. My mother never smoked or consumed alcohol, but she was diagnosed with cancer to everyone’s surprise. When she died of cancer in 2013, I wanted to know how a woman with no bad habits whatsoever could die of the deadly disease. The doctor told me that there could be other factors, including the pesticides in the vegetables we eat. Though I was mourning my loss, I seemed to have found a purpose. That’s when I decided to persuade people around me to give up foodstuff infused with harmful chemicals and take to a pesticide-free diet instead. In 2016, I started C&G Agroventures to provide toxin-free vegetables,” says Bhubaneswar-based Avilash Mahananda in a candid conversation with Orissa POST.
In the last few years, the Indian market has seen a spurt in pesticide-laced fruits and vegetables. A recent report by the agriculture ministry shows an almost two-fold increase in pesticide-contaminated produce in five years. Several of these pesticides are so harmful that the government has moved to ban or phase them out by 2020. But until then, they will still land up on your dinner table. It is against this background that Avilash has started C&G Agroventures, a company that provides toxin-free vegetables at an affordable price.
“My goal is not to provide these healthy veggies only to a select few but to the common man too. Unless we provide these vegetables to everyone, there will be no impact. And our mission is to reach out to as many people as possible.”
Does washing remove pesticides from fruits and vegetables? Avilash says: “From a very early age, I was taught to wash any produce before eating. You’ve probably been told the same, whether by the media or by family members. We tend to think that washing fruits or veggies will somehow make it safer to eat, but does it really? We consume germs and harmful artificial elements every day, without even noticing. If washing could remove pesticides from fruits and veggies, I would not have lost my mother so early in my life. I had never seen her consuming vegetables or fruits without washing them. I used to believe that a simple rinse under a tap would help wash off all the artificial chemicals. My mother’s death made me realise that this was not true. I decided to provide pesticide-free vegetables at affordable prices. I joined hands with Tanweer Alam, joint director of Indian Institute of Packaging. Under his guidance, I founded C&G Agroventures to provide toxin-free vegetables to as many as people as possible. I have worked hard on this project.”
An alumnus of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Avilash explains, “The vegetables go through unique processes like ozonisation and ultrasonic cleaning which reduces the chemicals in them by 60-90 per cent. The first step is ozonization. The vegetables are left to float in a closed chamber, and ozone gas is pumped into the water. This step breaks down the pesticides into harmless compounds. Then, the vegetables are put through an ultrasound signal of a specific frequency. It is after these two steps that the vegetables are washed in water which has a mere 0.001% solution of potassium permanganate. This process not only reduces the pesticide level but also increases the shelf life of the vegetables.”
Avilash faced many hurdles in his project. “There was a problem with funds. However, I got funded by DFID, TDB and SBI to come up with my pilot project. My father Bijay Kumar Manananda provided me much needed emotional support. Had he not guided me, I would not have attained success. Apart from my family members, my friends also supported me in my endeavour.”
Based on his venture, Avilash has been selected as an innovator in KIIT Technology Business Incubator.
About his future plans, he says, “I have acquired 20 acres of land to set up a model farm in Bolangir district, which is my birthplace. I plan to add 30 acres more in the second phase for the sustainable farming project. This space will be a model farm where farmers will come to learn modern techniques which they can implement in their own farms. Any questions related to farming will be answered here. We are planning to extend our service to college canteens and hospitals.”
Offbeat profile
Favourite food: Traditional Odia cuisines
Favourite pastime: Travelling
Favourite book: Bhagavad Gita
Inspiration: Parents
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP
