Udupi: Raghupati Bhat, MLA, said on Tuesday directed the officers of the Horticulture and Agriculture departments to restart the Savayava Santhe at the Flower Auction Centre, also called Raitha Samparka Kendra, at Doddanagudde here in three months.

He and Lalaji Mendon, Kaup MLA, chaired the tri-monthly Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting of Udupi and Kaup taluks, here.

Mr. Bhat said that the weekly Savayava Santhe, where organic vegetables and fruits cultivated by farmers was sold at the Flower Action Centre, had functioned only for about six months after its inauguration.

An official of the Horticulture Department said that the Savayava Santhe had closed down because enough organic vegetables from farmers were not coming. Interjecting, Mr. Bhat said that there were many farmers who were growing organic vegetables in Kokkarne, Benegal and surrounding villages. The Savayava Santhe had provided a platform for them to sell their vegetables.

There was huge demand for organic vegetables because people had become health-conscious and wanted to eat vegetables produced without using chemicals. If the officers had persisted with the Savayava Santhe, it would have taken off positively. “The other farmers too will get enthused to cultivate organic vegetables and fruits,” he said. Both the Agriculture and Horticulture departments could coordinate with Regional Cooperative Organic Farmers Associations Federation Ltd. as there were four organic clusters, where farmers were being encouraged to produce organic vegetables, Mr. Bhat said.

The meeting was told that there were plans to start Raitha Santhe where both farmers growing organic vegetables and also those growing vegetables with the help of fertilizers could sell their produce at the Flower Auction Centre here. Mr. Bhat said that both the departments should ensure that the Savayava Santhe and the Raitha Santhe were held weekly on different days within the next three months. “It is essential to provide proper marketing facilities to farmers,” he said.

Mr. Bhat also directed the officers of Health and Fisheries departments to jointly test fish caught in Malpe and other harbours in Udupi and Kaup taluks to check if any chemical was used to preserve them. If they certified no chemical was used, then it would not be difficult to sell them in Goa or other places, he said.

The issues of Basava Vasati Yojane, utilisation of funds for constructing school compound walls under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and staff shortage in primary health centres also figured in the meeting.