Karnataka will soon have the State government-recognised uniform branding for the products of farmer-producer organisations (FPOs) to boost their marketing.
According to M.V. Venkatesh, chairman, Action Group for the Uniform Branding of FPOs in Karnataka, when the brand name with a tagline and a logo is finalised and announced within two months from now, Karnataka will become the first State in the country to do so.
On the sidelines of a conclave of exporters and FPOs, organised to promote the export of farm products of coastal Karnataka, Mr. Venkatesh, who is also the Commissioner of the Department of Watershed Development, told The Hindu that the government received 200-250 names in an open contest organised recently. The participants in the contest, involving prizes worth ₹2 lakh, had to send a brand name with a tagline and a logo by September.
Ideas sought from writers
The government has also begun approaching senior writers and poets in the State to suggest a name.
“Later a committee, headed by me, will finalise the top 10 names. We will submit those names to the Agriculture Minister and the Chief Minister. The final name selected will be used as the mother brand name to market the products of FPOs,” Mr. Venkatesh said adding that it would be the brand name of the Karnataka government.
For example, Mattu Gulla of Udupi which enjoys the Geographic Indication tag, or a mango of Kolar or a pulse of Kalaburagi would have their names under the mother brand name. “The mother brand name should connect with people in other parts of the country and abroad too,” he said.
To begin with, the focus would be on marketing non-perishable products such as millets, spices, and honey of FPOs, he said. An official from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development said the State had about 700 FPOs.
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