The four-day Krishi Mela (farmers' fair) at Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK) concluded on Sunday.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Over 34.13 lakh people took part in the four-day Krishi Mela (farmers' fair) at the Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra, bringing in a revenue of Rs 6.17 crore.
The fair, themed around 'Climate smart digital farming', saw families, terrace-farming enthusiasts, planters, and scholars from all walks of life on Sunday, the concluding day.
The major attractions included demonstrations of integrated farming techniques, a driverless tractor with an automated boom sprayer, a coconut-harvesting drone, the Krishi Bot for remote-controlled ploughing, groundnut sowing, fertilisation, and a multispectral drone for crop health assessment.
Along with the Dr MH Marigowda State Horticulture Award, awards were also given away to the Best Youth Farmer from Chikkaballapur and Kolar, Best Woman Farmer, Dr R Dwarakinath Best Farmer, and Best Distributor.
The special attraction at the fair included Jaffarabadi buffaloes, which give 15-20 litres of milk daily. "The larger-than-life buffaloes weigh more than a tonne and are capable of surviving a fight with tigers,” Krishnamurthy CN from the Shri Krishna Goshaale noted.
The fair also had a live demonstration of beekeeping using a plastic frame, which, according to scientists, is a more efficient method to decrease the time spent by bees to construct the honeycombs.