Organic Mela to encourage food safety on February 9, 10

After assessing the threat posed by  chemical fertilisers on the diet of humans and fertility of soil, an Organic Mela to encourage organic farming will be held in the city on February 9 and 10.

Department of horticulture along with Jaivik Krishik Society (JKS) will organise the mela at Curzon Park in the city and bring under one roof, products from organic farmers from around the state.

“There is approximately 110 lakh hectares of agricultural land in the state. Only about 60-70,000 acres are cultivated using organic farming techniques,” said K Ramakrishnappa, additional director   of horticulture and honorary president of JKS.

Poor farmers

He said around five per cent of the total agricultural land was cultivated by farmers who were ‘too poor to buy fertilisers or practice organic farming techniques’.

At the exhibition, different types of organically-grown products will be put up for sale. The products include leafy vegetables, Nanjangud Rasabale, grapes, guava, papaya, rice varieties such as Gandhasale, Jeerige Sanna, Rajmudi, redrice, Jaya rice, minor millets such as ragi and jowar will be available.Organic products such as jams, jellies, chutneys, juices, cold pressed oils and cosmetics will also be available at the exhibition.

Participants

Speaking about the mela, Ramakrishnappa said the exhibition would benefit both farmers and consumers. Twenty-eight groups of organic farmers will participate in the exhibition, which in turn would help farmer groups to establish business linkages with organic market functionaries.

Consumers will be benefitted, as they will have direct access to various organic products at one place, he said.

Organic farming can bring in cordial relationship between soil, crop, animals and human beings by adopting eco-friendly farming techniques. The state government has formulated a state policy on organic farming in 2004 to encourage more farmers to take it up as the method of cultivation, he added.

The mela will be open to the public from 10.30 am to 6 pm. The department of horticulture is expecting a total of 15-20,000 visitors for the exhibition, and a trade of 50-60 tonnes at the mela.