BENGALURU: This weekend, if you want to treat your taste buds to a millet burger or a millet pizza, then head over to the Organics and Millets 2017, a three-day national trade fair.
“When we say millets, people will first think of ragi mudde or jolad roti. Just by promoting these two traditional dishes, we can’t popularise millets. Keeping the present generation in mind, we have listed out recipes using millets and these will be showcased at the fair being organised at Palace Grounds from April 28 to 30,” Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda said. A book with over 150 recipes will also be released at an affordable price.
He said the fair will serve as a common platform for farmers, retailers, people from food industry and other stakeholders without the interference of middlemen. “We want to create a brand for organic and millet products,” he said.
“We have invited well-known companies who can meet growers of organic food and millets and possibly tie up with them. If this happens, farmers can supply directly to retailers and industries,” he said.
“However, the main focus of the fair is on the public who will get to taste a variety of millet products.”
Talking about organic food, Byregowda said its turnover is around Rs 4,500 crore in India. “In Karnataka, it is around Rs 400 crore, of which Rs 250 crore is in Bengaluru alone. There are nearly 150 shops that sell organic food and millets,” he said.
Under the state government scheme Savaya Bhagya, organic farming is done in 250 hectares in every hobli. "We now have 1.85 lakh hectares of certified and non-certified organic farms and 1.91 lakh organic farmers. This was just 31,600 hectares some four years back. We have spent Rs 180 crore in the last four years promoting organic farming,” he said.
“There is some improvement in the area under millet cultivation in the last couple of years. We want to extend millet growing. The price is now higher due to middlemen and less yield. If farmers get a platform to sell it to retailers, prices are likely to drop by 20 per cent. We also plan to distribute seeds to encourage people to grow millets,” he said.