Festival of indigenous seeds and seed conservators concludes in Mysuru

The two-day Desi Beejotsava - a festival of indigenous seeds and farmers conserving them - held astatine Nanjaraj Bahadur Choultry successful the City concluded connected Sunday.

Seed conservators from antithetic parts of the State shared seeds and accusation connected effect conservation with the visitors astatine the Desi Beejotsava organised nether the aegis of Sahaja Samrudha, the Karnataka Biodiversity Board, and Sahaja Seeds.

Beeja matha Padmamma from Kanagal successful Periyapatna displayed 150 varieties of paddy seeds. A unsocial diagnostic of her stall was the organisation of seeds to funny visitors successful tiny insubstantial packets. 

Nagaraju from Manakatti colony successful Haveri territory brought uncommon medicinal plants and yam tubers for sale. Hulikadu Farmer Producer Company from H.D. Kote sold uncultivated plants and rootlike seeds, portion Kalappa of Hitne Hebbagilu successful Periyapatna, a well-known effect conservator, displayed and sold leafy vegetables and rootlike seeds. Devdanya Farmer Producer Company from Kundgol exhibited much than 100 varieties of millet and pulse crops, said a connection from the organisers.

Seed enthusiasts visited the festival successful ample numbers and actively purchased seeds and plants. Visitors showed keen involvement successful purchasing “Shankara Jackfruit,” popularly known arsenic the King of Red Jackfruits, and “Juice Bilwa,” a effect histrion fashionable successful North India but comparatively caller to Karnataka.

Naturally grown mango varieties specified arsenic Mallika, Imam Pasand, Dasheri, Amrapali, Langra, and Malgoba were sold astatine prices ranging from ₹70 to ₹150 per kilogram.

Naturally grown workplace nutrient commanded a premium price. “Our Dasheri and Amrapali mangoes person a unsocial taste. Since we let the fruits to turn naturally, rainfall and upwind often origin achromatic spots connected the skin. Local traders usage this arsenic an excuse to connection precise debased prices. At the effect festival, we offered effect samples to visitors, and customers appreciated the sensation and bought each the mangoes we had brought,” said Hoysala Appaji from Holenarasipura. 

Nagamma from Nooralakuppe successful H.D. Kote expressed her restitution with the effect to her product. “In our village, determination were hardly immoderate buyers for jackfruit. At the festival, we chopped the fruits, cleaned the bulbs and sold them directly,” she said.

As portion of the festival, a drafting contention was organised for children. Through their artwork, children depicted assorted dimensions of effect diverseness and effect culture. In the 5–9 years category, Rishika Nandi S.K. won the archetypal prize, Kushal R. secured the 2nd prize, Drushya S. won the 3rd prize, portion Ritanya and Apoorva received consolation prizes. In the 10–12 years category, Vismaya won the archetypal prize, Dheeraj K. secured the 2nd prize, Gokul Aryan won the 3rd prize, and Samruddh S.K. received the consolation prize.

S. N. Vasudevan, Dean of Alva’s College of Agriculture, Moodbidri, distributed prizes to the winners. 

On the occasion, the “Karnataka Seed Conservators Directory” was released by Vijayalakshmi, Executive Officer of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board.

For the payment of customers who could not be the effect festival, arrangements person been made for the merchantability of autochthonal seeds and integrated products astatine Kisan Mall, located wrong the Horticulture Nursery premises adjacent Kukkarahalli Lake, Mysuru. For further information, interaction Srinivas astatine 9900746499.