Shri Siddaramaiah, Hon'ble CM of Karnataka, inaugurated the event
"Agrovision South" organised by Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) in association with MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications (MM Activ) in Belagavi concluded on a positive note. The event, held Between Feb21-23, 2015, showcased Innovations in Agriculture and featured over 100 exhibitors,18 workshops and 28 eminent speakers.
Agrovision South's core theme was "Building Sustainable Livelihoods and Increasing Farmers' Income and SMEs role in Food Processing." The event was three-days of Knowledge and Technology sharing on farm practices and food processing creating a unique opportunity for small scale industries, entrepreneurs and farmers to assimilate the latest products, services, technology in Agriculture and allied sectors.
The key topics that were covered in the workshops included water conservation technologies and rain-fed agriculture, new technology in Sugarcane production and processing, food safety issues for export of agriculture commodities, nutri cereals for human health, on gherkin, which has been a major success in Karnataka, Rice's of Karnataka, cultivation and exploitation, fruit and vegetable processing, fisheries, another promising enterprise in Karnataka, dairy and the product processing and marketing, soybean as an industrial crop, organic farming for niche markets, agri finance, ICT in agriculture and an open panel discussion on farmer's income.
The event focused on agro, food processing and related sectors across south India and in particular from the neighbouring districts of Belagavi, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Bidar, Bellary, Gulbarga, Raichur, Yadgiri, Gadag, Dharwad, Haveri, Koppal, in addition to several central PSUs and large industries.
Mr Ravi Boratkar joint MD, MM Activ and organizing secretary, Agrovision South, said, "We are very happy with the response of the farmers who have come from across the region to participate in Agrovision South. We have ensured that the equipment, technology and workshop topics match with the needs of the local population. The modern technologies that are currently showcased here are meant to attract the people back to farming and food processing. The Govt. of Karnataka has also offered help in many ways to help farmers improve there livelihood by adopting new methodologies. Some of the key areas that were addressed included innovative measures to increase crop productivity, soil testing techniques, harnessing farm produce from lab to land, and agricultural extension practices such as food processing and related sectors."
Mr Chidananda M Rajamane, president, KASSIA and organizing secretary, Agrovision South, said, "KASSAI decided to bring together the agricultural sector and the MSME sector with specific focus on food processing. We are very happy with the outcome of Agrovison South as it has benefited the region tremendously."
The event was inaugurated on 21st Feb 2015 by Mr Siddaramaiah, CM of Karnataka, in the presence of Mr Satish L Jarkiholi, excise minister, Govt of Karnataka and Belagavi district minister; Mr SR Patil, Minister for IT, BT and S&T; Planning & Statistics, Govt of Karnataka; Mr Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister of Agriculture, Govt of Karnataka; Dr B Gurappa Naidu, chairman KSSIDC; Mr Prakash Babanna Hukkeri, Member of Parliament, Chikkodi Parliamentary Constituency; Mr Suresh Channabassapa Angadi, Member of Parliament, Belagavi Parliamentary Constituency and others.
Some of the key participants included the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of Israel, several departments from Govt of Karnataka, KBITS, KSSIDC, KVK, Coir Board, several universities and corporate such as UPL, Reliance Industries, Paragon Synthetics and Polymers among others.
