The fifth edition of the three-day international organic trade fair, ‘BioFach India together with India Organic 2013’, which concluded here on Saturday, witnessed business transactions of Rs. 26 crore.
The fair was jointly organised by Nuremberg Messe India Pvt. Ltd., International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) and the Karnataka State Department of Agriculture.
ICCOA executive director Manoj Kumar Menon told The Hindu after the conclusion of the fair that the buyer-seller meets registered Rs. 26-crore transactions. As many as 16 foreign companies and 45 firms from different States participated. These business transactions were related to purchase of organic produces, including different varieties of rice, pulses, mango pulp, black pepper and nutmeg, he said.
In addition, stalls put up at the fair registered business enquiries of Rs. 172 crore, he said. Over 7,500 people visited the fair in the three days.
Traders from Europe, and countries including the U.S. took part in the fair that had an international exhibition of organic products and an international conference on various aspects related to organic farming and policies.
At the valedictory programme, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences – Bangalore G.K. Veeresh asked the institutions dealing with organic farming to focus on organic cultivation methods that also improve soil fertility.
Integrated farming
“Poverty among farmers is mainly due to soil infertility,” he said while pointing out the relationship between soil fertility and yield levels. The best method to improve soil fertility was to promote integrated farming where animal husbandry was a component. Without cattle, it would be difficult to promote organic farming, he said.
Nuremberg Messe India Pvt. Ltd. managing director Sonia Prashar and Adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture A.K. Yadav also spoke.
