People can now look forward to certified organic produce that will be promoted under the brand names Siri and Shreshta in the State.
This is a bid to ensure quality and authenticity of the produce, which will be certified by the Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency (KSOCA), which was established for the purpose and duly accredited as per the National Programme for Organic Productions, Government of India.
The certification and branding will help filter fake organic produce from the market. H.A. Suresh, assistant director of KSOCA, told The Hindu on the sidelines of the Millet Mela here on Wednesday that as per the new norms of the food safety regulator, organic produce should also sport a common logo which was unveiled recently. The produce will be branded and marketed by the organic federation constituted on the lines of the Karnataka Milk Federation, he said.
Over the past three years, ever since the KSOCA was established, an increasing number of farmers have shown an inclination to switch to the organic mode. As on date, there are 566 farmer groups, each with at least 100 members, across the State.
Besides this, there are four horticultural groups, while 100 individuals have taken to organic practices ina agriculture. “Karnataka is among the leading States promoting organic farming. Area under organic production is 81,000 hectares,” said S.S. Parashivamurthy, quality manager at KSOCA.
The production is around 1.64 lakh tonnes of agricultural produce and it is expected to increase with additional area being brought under organic cultivation, he said.
“The Mysuru-T. Narsipur-H.D. Kote-Kollegal-Chamarajanagar belt has a good number of organic farmers and similar groups are active in Belagavi, Dharwad, coastal regions and parts of north and central Karnataka,” Mr. Suresh said.
In Nanjangud, a cluster of villages was identified where 48 farmers are practising organic farming on 100 acres of land, according to the group president Rangaswamy Naik. “Though the yield was initially low, it was compensated by the decline in investment and good income,” said Mr. Naik.
Horse gram, green gram, black gram and chilli are being cultivated under organic conditions. The KSOCA is confident of promoting organic farming as a viable practice and of increase the coverage area.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – December 27th, 2017