KARWAR: The annual tuber mela organised in Joida saw a huge turnout of farmers, buyers, organic business firms, scientists and agriculture experts. On Wednesday, they all thronged Joida to study tuber cultivation and different varieties of tubers.
To create awareness about the traditional and healthy food tuber, a day-long tuber mela was organised in Joida on Wednesday. The mela has been organised every year in Joida since 2014 to promote the nutritious food. The fair saw at least 40 varieties of tuber which are cultivated organically by Kunabi community people and other farmers in Joida taluk.
Joida taluk is one of the backward taluks in the state and 87 per cent of it is covered by dense forests of Western Ghats. People are dependent on cultivating paddy and tuber.The mela saw participation by Bengaluru-based organic firm Sahaja Samrudha, tuber experts from Wayanad of Kerala and Sindhudurg of Maharashtra, scientists from Mangaluru and Sirsi agriculture colleges and many farmers.
G Krishna Prasad, head of Sahaja Samrudha, who visited the mela for the first time, said, “It is a great opportunity to see such a large variety of tubers that are grown naturally in fields adjoining the forest area.”