Indore: With the motto of spreading healthy food habits among the people, a three-day organic agricultural science conference and exhibition ‘Organic Expo-2020’ started in the city from Friday.
Nutrient-rich millets, bamboo rice, red maize, radish, black gram, organic fruits, vegetables, cereals are the centre of attraction among the foodies of the city.
KP Bhatt, hailing from Maharashtra, has bamboo rice on display. It looks like wheat but is smaller in size. He claims that it’s effective in relieving joint pains. He says that bamboo rice can be obtained only once a year from bamboo plants that are over 60 years old, and it costs Rs 1000 per kg. Farmer Avinash Singh Dangi, from Khargone district and Vasant Verma from Shyam Organic Farms, village Chhirpura district Harda have red maize and red radish on display in their stalls. Verma says that red maize was cultivated earlier, but now it has been discontinued by most farmers. He said its seed was prepared in Khargone. Verma said that red maize has more vitamins and minerals than normal maize.
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Meghana Shukla, a naturopath and millet advisor, is selling millets like Mordhan, Makra, Kodo, Kangni and Kutki. She explains that millets are still traditionally grown in tribal areas. They are nutritious and believed to be effective for treating cancer, joints paints, digestion and sex-related problems.
Deepak Agrawal, one of the organisers of the expo and organic farming expert cum advisor says that our primary objective is to make people aware so that they include organic food in their diet.
Agriculture expert, Sarita Naveria, says that if we wish to keep ourselves fit, we should say goodbye to items grown with the help of chemical fertilisers.
Earlier, Rajeev Kumar, deputy general manager, State Bank of India, inaugurated the expo. Rameshbhai Rupareliya of Gir Cow Farming Training Camp, Ramnath Suryavanshi, National Level Resource Person and Food Processing Specialist of FSSA were also present.
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Addressing the event, Rameshbhai Rupareliya threw light on some home remedies that have not been adopted in allopathy to date. According to Ramnath Suryavanshi, “the demand for organic food is there at the international level. It is healthy for humans and benefits the soil and the environment. The chemically induced grains that people are consuming these days are harming their immune system. It is also leaving a dangerous impact on future generations.”
The programme is being organised by Pandit Shiv Prasad Mishra Aromatic and Organic Farm. Convenor Manoj Mishra said, “the objective of this programme is to solve various problems and misconceptions related to organic farming.” He further said, “to promote organic farming, we will continue to work in this direction. We are planning to do such programmes to spread awareness of organic farming to every farmer. “
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