Savayava Santhe to offer organic vegetables and fruits in Udupi

May 25, 2017 12:40 am | Updated 12:40 am IST - Udupi

The organic market will be held at the Flower Auction Centre in Doddanagudde, Udupi.

The organic market will be held at the Flower Auction Centre in Doddanagudde, Udupi.

By the end of next month, you could be eating delicious dishes made out of fresh organic vegetables purchased from the Savayava Santhe (organic market), if everything goes according to the plan of the district administration here.

The authority has given its nod to hold the weekly organic market at the Flower Auction Centre at Doddanagudde here.

Six organic farming clusters established in Udupi district and 632 farmers have been practising organic farming in 655 hectares (ha) of land since 2013-14 under the Savayava Bhagya Yojane of State government.

The clusters have been established in Hirebettu, Kadur, Kattingeri, Belinje, Japti and Teggarse by the Department of Agriculture, with the help of NGOs. Under the yojane, a Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Udupi Districts Regional Cooperative Organic Farmers Associations’ Federation has been set up.

“The Savayava Santhe here will also get organic vegetables, foodgrains and fruits from Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts also,” said Joint Director of Agriculture, Chandrashekhar Nayak.

Besides these clusters, farmers are now following organic farming under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana of the Union government in nine villages in Udupi district since 2015-16. As many as 292 farmers are following organic farming in 108 hectares of land under this yojana.

The farmers in these clusters cultivate organic vegetables and fruits, including lady’s finger, gherkins, elephant yam, green chillis, leafy vegetables, bitter gourd, ash gourd, beans, bananas and pepper.

Good demand

According to Devadas Hebbar, one of the directors of Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Udupi Districts Regional Cooperative Organic Farmers Associations Federation Ltd., people in Udupi and Manipal were health-conscious. “Hence, we feel there will be good demand for organic vegetables, fruits, millets and foodgrains at the Savayava Santhe,” he said.

The Savayava Santhe will be held on Sundays from next month. But the date of launch was yet to be fixed by the administration. The federation would first hire a godown at the Flower Auction Centre and put up a stall in the initial stages displaying all organic items for sale.

“Once we know the pulse of the customers, we will be able to get the items accordingly. All the organic items will be reasonably priced,” Mr. Hebbar said.

“It is easier for farmers in Udupi district to shift to organic farming as, on an average, they use about 50-55 kg of inorganic fertilizers a hectare compared to the State average of 150-180 kg,” said Satish B., technical officer, Agriculture Department.

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