The Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) has constituted a 40 member Karnataka Agriculture Council (KAC) with a view to ensure agriculture stays ahead in the economic development of the Karnataka.
The Council was launched on 27th September 2024, during the Karnataka Agriculture Summit in Bengaluru and is the first in south Indian state to be constituted by the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture.
The committee will be headed by K.S. Narayanaswamy who is the president of Karnataka Seed Producers and Marketers Association. Its function shall be to facilitate cooperation, partnerships, and building communication channels among farmers, policymakers, and business circles.
Strengthening Farmer Producer Organisations
Strengthening also ideological Strategy that is testified by Empowerment and Development of Farmer Producer Organizations is expected to be one of the main area of the Council. However, many FPOs cite lack of market linkages as a significant bottleneck. For this reason, the Council objectives of connecting FPOs with progressive farmers through building a complete market system will expand their market opportunities and increase farmers’ profits, as anticipated by Chairman of the ICFA Dr. M. J. Khan.
The Council is likely to facilitate FPOs to tap the agricultural strengths of the state of Karnataka in the global as well as domestic market. The Council also aims to enhance the agricultural export market for the state of Karnataka and also places importance for the growth of the important industries like agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and hybrid seeds production, paraphrasing Dr. Khan.
Promoting agri startups and tech
In his remarks, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy highlighted the importance of targeting verticals such as processing and export of millets, pulses, coffee, and spices apart from encouraging agricultural startups and digitization. He underscored the fact that Bangalore has emerged as a center for agri-tech companies sustaining the energy necessary for agricultural innovation.
This event was, among others, graced by Dr Ashok Dalwai, Chairman, PM’s Task Force on Doubling Farmers’ Income.
