Varun Menon R., development officer of the Tea Board of India, presenting a demo on adulteration of tea powders at the Krishi-Thotagarike Mela in Shivamogga.
| Photo Credit: SATHISH G.T.
The Krishi-Thotagarike Mela, organised by the Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, has been receiving a great response from the public since its inauguration on Friday, November 7. The event attracted more than 45,000 people from Shivamogga and neighbouring districts. The number of people who visited the fair on each of the weekend days was more than that of the first day.
The fair consists of more than 430 stalls that include exhibitions on advanced technologies in farming, agricultural implements, organic farming, areca cultivation, integrated farming, irrigation equipment, solar equipment, tractors, etc.
The university’s areca research centre has put up stalls named ‘Areca Palace’, where visitors can get detailed information on areca cultivation, types of areca plants grown in Karnataka, integrated farming in areca, value addition of areca, and diseases that affect the plantation. One among the value-added products on display is areca nut wine, launched by Sushma Sanjay, an areca grower in Tirthahalli taluk.
Tea board
A stall set up by the Tea Board of India attracted many visitors, particularly tea lovers. Varun Menon R., a development officer of the board at Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, was accompanied by small-scale tea growers who showcased their own brand of tea.
Mr. Menon interacted with the visitors, explaining them about the different varieties of tea and how to differentiate between good tea and coloured tea. He took two cups of water and added a spoon of two different brands of tea powder to each glass. “The powder which alters the colour of water is adulterated,” he said. The officer called upon the visitors to go only for authenticated brands of tea.
Stalls
The Organic Farming Research Centre of the university showcased different varieties of rice cultivated by farmers of the State. The research centre put up a stall to educate visitors about area-specific crops and innovative methods adopted by farmers of that area.
The university has come forward to disseminate weather forecasts to farmers in seven districts — Shivamogga, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, and Davangere. A centre monitoring the climate of the university displayed QR codes, which the visitors can scan to join various WhatsApp groups. They would get real-time weather forecasts on these groups. Many farmers who visited the stalls were seen scanning the codes to join the groups.
The event provided space for many commercial firms to showcase gadgets and products that help farmers on the ground. A Mysuru-based company has come up with drones that can be used to spray medicine in areca plantations. The drone costs ₹5 lakh, and it can spray medicine on up to 40 acres in a day. The representatives of the company stated that many farmers had been earning well by renting out the drones in their area.
Published – November 09, 2025 07:13 pm IST
