Fruit trees auctioned

On March 9th the Auroville Foundation Office (AVFO) tendered and on March 27th auctioned the fruits of the fruits trees of the Auroville Farms, without any consultation with the RA. A late correction to the tender document specified that it is mandatory for successful tenderers to first offer/sell the fruits to Food Link “at no more than the prevailing market price”. While the Governing Board had previously emphasised Auroville’s need for food self-sustainability, Auroville farms will now lose one more of their sources of income, in addition to recent maintenance cuts and loss of productive farm land due to land exchanges. The Auroville Farm Group publicly decried the actions as “yet another blow to farming in Auroville” which will leave farms in a position where they can no longer sustain themselves. The Group noted the lack of communication from the Secretary’s Office, including a lack of intention to work with the farmers. The RA-WCom issued a public press notice to notify potential bidders that transactions about the lease of Auroville fruit trees might be subject to legal challenges, disputes and litigations.