Brand push for Karnataka’s organic produce, millets

Organic produce and millets grown in Karnataka will now be marketed under two new brands, as part of the State Agriculture Department’s efforts to encourage farming practices that are eco-friendly.

The department has also decided to fund technology innovations in the agriculture sector and has earmarked ₹10 crore to assist start-ups.

The ‘Sresta Karnataka’ brand for organic produce and ‘Siri Karnataka’ for millets were unveiled at the National Organic and Millets Trade Fair 2017 in Bengaluru by Karnataka Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda in the presence of Union Agriculture Secretary SK Pattayanak and a host of industry leaders, including Britannia Industries Managing Director Varun Berry and farmer representatives of the 14 organic growers federations in the State.

The brand names can be used only by certified farmers or those who are under the State’s certification process.

The brand ‘Siri Karnataka’ was chosen for millets in view of the richness of nutrients that the grains contained. Similarly, ‘Sresta Karnataka’, the brand for organically grown produce in the state, was selected keeping in mind the importance of organic farming practices to nature, the environment and ecology.

“With a view to creating market linkages between farmers and retailers, and in order to align with the changing market dynamics and to reach wider sections of society through building product identity, Siri Karnataka and Shreshta Karnataka have been created for the regional federations and the product value chain. This would facilitate the organised marketing of these high-quality food items,” said Gowda.

The Karnataka Government has been promoting organic farming through its ‘Savayava Bhagya’ scheme over the past four years, and has revived the cultivation of millets through various incentives. Close to one lakh farmers have been brought under the organic fold and have been organised under 14 different grower federations. The farmer federations will be allowed to use these brands to market their products and also boost their incomes through value addition of their products.

Karnataka has also set aside ₹10 crore from the start-up fund for funding innovations in the agriculture sector. The State will call for entries from start-ups in the agriculture sector in early May, said Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge. A maximum funding of up to ₹50 lakh would be provided to each selected agri start-up.

Recently, the State had funded as much as ₹2.5 crore to eight start-ups in tourism, Kharge said. So far, about 2,400 start-ups across various sectors have registered with the State government, he added.