Organic farmers’ federation opens outlet to sell products in the city

mangaloretoday network

Mangaluru, Jun 17, 2019 : Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Udupi Organic Federation, promoted by the Department of Agriculture, opened its first organic outlet in the city to sell groceries at Karangalpady on Sunday, The Hindu reported.

 

It is in the premises of the vegetable outlet of Dakshina Kannada Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (DK HOPCOMS). The outlet has been opened in the same building where the DK HOPCOMS had opened its first outlet to sell organic vegetables and groceries one-and-half years ago and which was subsequently closed down after some months. DK HOPCOMS had opened the organic outlet in November, 2017.

Speaking on the occasion Manjunath G, CEO of the federation, told The Hindu that DK HOPCOMS has rented out the same premises to the federation to continue from where it had shut. He said that the organic outlet of the federation will groceries but not vegetables.

The federation has 44 organic groups of farmers with 3,200 members in the three districts. Their area of cultivation comprised 3,395 hectares. “Our farmers have completed the fourth year of certification by the Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency under the State government,” he said.

The member farmers have cultivated rice, millets, pulses and cereals. The federation has sourced other groceries like jaggery, sugar, and salt from 14 other organic federations of farmers in the State to sell it at the outlet here.

He said the federation has set a target of cultivating paddy on 400 acres in three districts in this kharif. It included cultivating Rajamudi variety on about 80 acres and red rice on about 180 acres. “We will cultivate Burma Black variety of paddy/rice on about five to six acresin Aldur area in Chikkamagaluru district on a trial basis in this khariff,” he said.

The federation has been selling its products under the brand name DCU. It has also displayed tips on how to cook unpolished rice and red rice. Tips on nutrition content in different types of millets have been displayed.