From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 13: The first-ever National Trade Fair on organics and millets 2017 is being organised here by the Karnataka government’s agriculture department in association with International Competence Centre of Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) at the Bangalore Palace Grounds from April 28 to 30.

Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation Ltd (KAPPEC) is the co-organiser and International Competence Centre of Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) is the knowledge partner of this national event.

Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh will be the chief guest at the event, which will be inaugurated by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramiah.

The trade fair will be a common platform for networking besides exchanging expertise and knowledge.

For Karnataka, it will provide an opportunity to showcase its organic wealth, diversity and the overall competence of farmers/farming groups including those from different states.

Over 10000 visitors across trading community, farmers and general public will converge on this showpiece event.

The state agriculture department is promoting organic farming programmes in a big way. Several programmes have been initiated to address the issues and paving the way for sustainable food production, improving soil health, conserving natural resources, promoting rural development and mitigating drought condition, state agriculture minister C Krishna Byre Gowda explained.

Millets: The super food
Millets are small seeded cereals and grains that are indigenous to India and African countries. Millets are considered to have been cultivated in India from pre-historic times. Their importance as food can be realized from the facts that millets are being cultivated in an area of about 30 million acres in India.

Millets require 70% less water than rice. They require no pesticides and minimal chemical fertilizers, making them mostly organic and environment friendly. They are low cost crops and can be grown well even in marginal lands, with low rainfall.

Millets are nutritional powerhouses high in proteins, dietary fiber, B complex vitamins, essential amino acids, folic acid and vitamin E. They are particularly high in minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, calcium and potassium. The nutritional and health benefits of millets have created a surge in demand for a variety of millets.