B'lore plans an organic food treat from Nov 9
Acting on the adage that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the Bangalore-based International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) is showcasing an organic food festival as part of its India Organic-2006 fair.
By Arun Iyer, TNN |
BANGALORE: Acting on the adage that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the Bangalore-based International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) is showcasing an organic food festival as part of its India Organic-2006 fair.
The second annual India Organic fair will bring together buyers and sellers of organic food. The four-day fair begins on November 9.
“The food festival will be an added attraction. Ultimately food is the end product in the value chain which links up the buyer and the producer (farmer),” says ICCOA president Ramesh Harve. Food festivals, he adds, are a regular fare even at Biofach — the congress for organic business, organised in Germany.
The India Organic 2006 food festival is being held courtesy Morarka Organic and will feature delicacies from Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The fair will encourage participation of the in-conversion persons (people who are in the process of getting certified as organic growers).
Harve says senior officials of the Munich-based Organic Services GmbH will be participating. “We are keen to see a bigger role for India Organic over the next few years. Organic Services will help in this regard,” he adds.
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More than 16 states are expected to participate in the fair. The first edition, which was held in ’05, was able to generate business enquiries to the tune of Rs 42 crore, adds Manoj Menon, ICCOA’s manager for market development. While India has over two lakh hectares of land under organic farming, the bulk of the consumption of organic produce is urban-centric. It is estimated that annually around Rs 10-crore worth of organic foodgrains is sold by various supermarket/department stores in the country. According to Tej Pratap, executive director of ICCOA, India’s organic food exports have topped the Rs 200 crore mark.
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