ATM News Network: Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare calls farmers in large numbers to diversify their crops with Millets. Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare emphasised that consumption of millets is the solution to malnutrition.
Millets & Organics 2023 – International Trade Fair has been started in Thripuravasini, Bengaluru on Friday, 20th January. The three-day event was divided in multiple segments including Exhibition, Pavilion, B2B networking and much more.
The exhibition segment of the event was inaugurated by Basavaraj Bommai, Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka. Followed by the inaugural ceremony, Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal & Mines, inaugurated the Karnataka Pavilion. Union Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Kailash Choudhary also graced the event and inaugurated the B2B networking part.
The trade fair is a platform for farmers, farmer groups, domestic and international companies, central and state institutions in organic and millet sector to connect and explore opportunities in agriculture, horticulture, processing, machinery and agri-technology. The Government of Karnataka has been a leader in promotion of millets - The first Organics and Millets Fair was held in 2017, the second and third editions in 2018 and 2019 in Bengaluru.
Some of the key highlights from the fair included more than 250 stalls, millet and organic food court, buyer seller meets, international expo and conference, consumer connect, farmers workshop, cooking, drawing and quiz competitions, demonstration of millet recipes, among others. The key products on display during the fair were millets, organics and natural range, certified wild harvest produce, millet processing machinery, organic cereals and pulses, bio-degradable packaging, eco-friendly products, etc.
With the aim to generate mass awareness, increase production, productivity and strengthen the value-chain towards promote ‘golden grain’ Millets as the avenue to food & nutritional security, accepting Government of India’s proposal, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM) - 2023.