A large number of people visited the stalls on the first day of the two-day organic vegetables and millet mela that began in Kadri Park on Saturday. People can learn to make delicacies using millets at the stalls on Sunday.
Organic farmers from across the State have set up their stalls. While organic vegetables were sold faster, there was demand for snacks made of millets too.
Inaugurating the mela, Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said it was being held to make people aware of organic products and millets. He said while the State government was giving incentive for farmers to adopt organic farming and stop using fertilizers, there was a need to create demand for these products that was free from chemicals. The melas such as the one in Kadri Park were in line with efforts by the State government to create demand for organic vegetables and millets. The government has formed 14 federations comprising one lakh organic farmers in the State to provide them support for marketing their products, he said.
Mangaluru South MLA J.R. Lobo said space can be provided near the flower market in Car Street in Mangaluru to hold weekly organic melas.
