Exotic vegetables, animals a hit at Raitha Dasara

People who visited Raitha Dasara on JK Grounds would have not missed the stall 'Videshi Tarakari Belegararu' of T M Yogish, to learn about exotic vegetables.

Yogish, a resident of Talluru village, has cultivated exotic vegetables on his 3.5 acres of land. He has cultivated vegetables like tyme, green lettuce, red lettuce, Thai basil, Italian basil, fennel bulbs, parsley, iceberg lettuce, baby carrot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, dill leaves and zucchini green.

Speaking to DH, Yogish said, "Soon after my education, I developed the interest in agriculture. Initially, I cultivated Indian common vegetables and other crops. Gradually, I developed the interest in exotic vegetables and started to cultivate various types of them.”

"From the past eight years, I am into this field. Cultivation of exotic vegetables is a lucrative business. Moreover, the vegetables we cultivate have higher nutrition value," he added.

Exotic vegetables have a good market, but they should be sold directly to consumers, without middlemen. We also transport these exotic vegetables to Chennai, Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu and various other places, says Yogish.

The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services department has made efforts to attract visitors to Raitha Dasara, by displaying various rearing breeds of animals and birds. This time, the department has displayed different breeds of animals like Jamnapari, Sirohi, Barbari, Kadaknath chicken, Japanese quails, Turkey, Rambouillet sheep, emu, Hallikar, Gir and Kankrej cattle.

The department has initiated measures to educate the farmers of supplementing their income by rearing various breeds of livestock.

Speaking to DH, Dr Tirumalagowda of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services department said, "This time, we have displayed various animals and birds to create awareness among the farmers on how to enhance their income."

The Agriculture Department has displayed a model of 'integrated farming' to explain how farming is useful to both farmers and nature. It has displayed various breeds of paddy, millets, vegetables, fruits, agriculture products and various types of seeds.