Bangalore emerging as a major city of ‘organic brands’

BioFach India, an offshoot of World Organic Trade Fair BioFach in Nurnberg, plans to hold its organic fair in Bangalore from November 29 to December 1.

The fourth edition of BioFach India 2012 by Nuremberg Messe is supported by the Karnataka Department of Agriculture and the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA).

“The fair is to facilitate organic production, manufacturing, trade and it is the single platform where various stake-holders in the organic value chain congregate to network,” said International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) Executive Director Manoj Kumar Menon.

Talking about trends in the organic food consumption in Bangalore, Menon said, “The city has emerged as a prominent organic brands city in the country.”

“Compared with other cities which have only a few of them, Bangalore has brands in black pepper, ginger, turmeric and coffee etc. The city has also attracted major crops to do good volumes on a daily basis,” he added.

Menon expressed confidence that the BioFach India would further boost the organic farming as well as organic trade in Karnataka. At the last year’s fair organic cotton and jaggery had fetched some business.

He explained that the previous edition of international organic trade fair held in Bangalore had seen a total business transaction of Rs 17.5 crore. The major chunk of this had gone to Karnataka as the home state had accounted for a business of Rs 11 crore.

Karnataka Principal Secretary Agriculture Department Bharatlal Meena said 141 exhibitors including 16 international players had so far confirmed their participation in the event.

Similarly, various States including Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram were participating in the event being held at the Bangalore Palace Grounds.

Meena said country accounted for 10.9 lakh hectares of crops under certified organic cultivation including 51,500 hectares in Karnataka. In 2011, the exports of organic crops had earned revenue of Rs 600 crore for the country while the domestic sales had fetched Rs 300 crore, he noted.

In a bid to encourage organic agriculture in the state, the Agriculture Department had taken up a plan to promote organic farming in about 100 acres of land in each taluk.