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Bhubaneswar: Avilash Mahananada has created history by introducing a project meant to provide pesticide-free vegetables to consumers in the city.
Avilash heads a firm, C&G Agro venture Pvt ltd, which he launched in 2016, with a view to reducing pesticide and harmful chemicals from vegetables and make them available to consumers by hygienically packaging them. In this venture, he took the help of Dr Tanveer Alam, joint director of Indian Institute of Packaging, New Delhi.
Interacting with Orissa POST, Avilash said the venture was not intended to generate profit alone, but also to serve the society by supporting the farmers as well as the end-users.
“My vision is to provide pesticide-free vegetables at super markets, hotels, restaurants and street corner provisions with effect from August 19, 2018. Price of the packaged products will be reasonable for everyone and they won’t be costly as in organic vegetable stores,” he explained.
Narrating how he began the venture, Avilash said the death of his mother in 2013 due to cancer perturbed him to the point of depression. He kept on wondering why his mother died of cancer even though she was not addicted to anything harmful. The doctor told him that cancer can be caused by food contamination and consumption of pesticide-sprayed food among other causes.
Avilash revealed his plans to launch a model farm where agriculturists can get knowledge of farm technology. The farm will also connect users with various seed companies on the basis of their needs. He has also invented an App that keeps track of veggies right from their source to the point of sale to help the consumer.
As a student Avilash was selected as an innovator in KIIT for Technology Business Incubation (TBI). Currently, his project is funded by the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development board and Villgro, a social funding agency.
