Conclave and expo in Udupi to promote farm products of coastal region on October 14

Organised by Laghu Udyog Bharati-Karnataka and IMS Foundation in association with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, the event will be held at Seshashayana Hall, Hotel Kidiyoor

A Mattu Gulla farm in Udupi district. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Mattu Gulla has obtained GI tag. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

An exporters conclave-cum-expo aimed at promoting agricultural products of the coastal region will be held in Udupi on Friday.

Organised by Laghu Udyog Bharati-Karnataka and IMS Foundation in association with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the event will be held at Seshashayana Hall, Hotel Kidiyoor, at 10 a.m.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje will inaugurate the conclave, along with Minister for Agriculture B.C. Patil.

The objective of the conclave is to bring key stakeholders, including various government departments related to agriculture and horticulture, Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs), the farming community, exporters, and others to promote agricultural products and explore export business in the coastal belt of the State.

The conclave will also have a technical session focusing on these main themes, business models, value addition and technology intervention, government support system and sharing of success stories.

The day-long conclave will see several top speakers such as M. Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, Union Department of Commerce, M.V. Venkatesh, Commissioner, Watershed Development Department, Karnataka, K. Nagendra Prasad, Director of Horticulture, Karnataka, Manoj Rajan, Special Secretary to Government, Food Processing and Harvest Technology, Karnataka, T. Ramesh, Chief General Manager, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Regional Office, Bengaluru, sharing their thoughts on how the FPOs operate and how the farming community can benefit from the various government schemes and also upscale to the next level thereby fetching good prices for the produce they grow.

To bring about a visible change and development in the agriculture sector, Laghu Udyog Bharati-Karnataka is collaborating with APEDA to explore and promote export potential in the coastal belt of the State, Laghu Udyog Bharati and IMS Foundation said.

The products from the region that export potential comprise cocoa, cashew, jackfruit, organic products, Mattu Gulla and Udupi Mallige, both of which have GI tag, beetel leaves, arecanut, pan and supari.

A few export houses will be present at the venue to showcase what can be exported from Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada and Hassan region.

Around 250 participants comprising important stakeholders will be attending the event. Over 25 stalls will exhibit various products from the coastal region to the participants.