Organic produce sellers to get space for out lets

Organic produce sellers to get space for out lets

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru:   Speaking at the inauguration of three-day organic, ’siri dhanya’, food festival and launching of Millets-ragi malt for babies organised by the Desi Uthana Associates, Pranava Yoga mattu Prakruti Chikitsa Kendra and Sri Basava Enterprises here on May 29, Friday, Mangaluru MLA J R Lobo promised to provide space for the organic producers to sell their produce at the Kaikamba-Bikarnakatte and Alape markets after the renovations. He said that plans  to organise shandy every week at Pilikula are being made. A space will be provided to the organic producers to sell their produce too.

He lamented that at present knowledge on locally available fruits like kokum and "karandekai," "thimare chutney." and so on are being lost. The youth are only after fast food. There is a need to create awareness on naturally available fruits.

Savayava Krishika Grahaka Balaga President Addoor Krishna Rao said that the organic producers should ensure that quality is maintained while selling the produce. Without maintaining the quality, there will be no difference between the food crops grown organically and using chemical fertilisers. In the name of desi produce, many sell adulterated produce for making money. The producers and buyers should be cautious while buying organic produce. The vegetables required by a household can be cultivated in the kitchen garden or at the roof top terrace. Organic food is a way of life which followed by our forefathers. To promote soya oil, a section of the society and producers propagated against coconut oil.

Sahaja Samrudha organisation President N R Shetty said that around 2,000 farmers are producing the crops organically and selling it through Sahaja Samrudha across the state. Genetically modified or hybrid seeds are not promoted. Instead, desi varities which are known to have medicinal values are included. There are 700 varieties of "desi rice" grown by farmers even to this day. Rice is divided as per the properties of medicinal value, aromatic value and for daily consumption.

Millets are health foods. They offer a huge nutritional boost to population residing in dry land areas. Millets are rich in antioxidants and micronutrients, and thereby help to maintain good immunity and other physiological factors. They have proved to be useful diet for diabetic people.

Food should be our medicine, medicine should not become our food.  Naturopathy expert Dr Rafeeq said that nature decides what fruit should be eaten in which month. Jackfruit is the most organically grown fruit, he added. The locally available vegetables and leafy vegetables grown organically improves our immune system.

The dishes that can be made from Millets included : foxtail millet (navane) curd rice, finger millet (ragi) halva, and proso millet (baraga) bisibele bath, kempakki payasa, mango chitranna, mango thoku, amritha panaka, mango thambuli, millet dosa and so on.  There is great enthusiasm in this region.