Bengaluru: Organic produce and millets grown in Karnataka will now be marketed under two new brands, as part of the State Agriculture Department’s efforts to encourage farming practices that are eco-friendly.
The department of agriculture has also decided to fund technology innovations in the agriculture sector and has earmarked Rs 10 crore to assist start-ups.
The ‘Sresta Karnataka’ brand for organic produce and ‘Siri Karnataka’ for millets were unveiled at the National Organic and Millets Trade Fair 2017 in Bengaluru by Karnataka Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda in the presence of Union Agriculture Secretary SK Pattayanak and a host of industry leaders, including Britannia Industries Managing Director Varun Berry and farmer representatives of the 14 organic growers federations in the State.
The brand names can be used only by certified farmers or those who are under the State’s certification process.
The brand ‘Siri Karnataka’ was chosen for millets in view of the richness of nutrients that the grains contained. Similarly, ‘Sresta Karnataka’, the brand for organically grown produce in the state, was selected keeping in mind the importance of organic farming practices to nature, the environment and ecology.
The state government has been promoting organic farming through its ‘Savayava Bhagya’ scheme over the past four years, and has revived the cultivation of millets through various incentives. Close to one lakh farmers have been brought under the organic fold and have been organised under 14 different grower federations. The farmer federations will be allowed to use these brands to market their products and also boost their incomes through value addition of their products.
