KOCHI: The ongoing agro-industrial fair in Muvattupuzha has become a big draw in the eastern Ernakulam region, with thousands thronging the European Union (E.U.)-aided agricultural wholesale market, where the event will be on till February 5.

From a host of agriculture-related Government departments and premier agencies such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to dozens of farmers and horticulturists, a whole lot of enterprising people have converged at the festival ground. The event has been organised by Muvattupuzha Municipality, with the aim of reviving the E.U.-aided market.

Chairperson of the municipality Mary George Thottam says that seminars have been arranged on all days, to discuss problems facing farmers. "Health and environmental protection are another area of focus in these seminars. A host of experts, ranging from the former Education Minister P.J. Joseph to executive director of Jalanidhi Jyotilal are expected to attend these seminars. The ultimate aim is to ensure that the EEC market develops, leading to overall development of Muvattupuzha."

"The response has been very good. On the first day of the 10-day fest, we were able to collect Rs.18,000 from ticket sale," says Sankaran Nair, chairman of the programme committee.

What attract visitors to the show are a variety of flowering plants and leafy ones such as crotons, different varieties of palms and so on.

The flowering plants include gereberas, rose, anthuriums, jasmine, bougen villas and so on. A drawback is that none of the plants carry name boards, forcing visitors to guess their names. Cacti too have been exhibited.

The Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) is selling saplings of different varieties of mango, coconut, banana and butter fruit and medicinal plants such as krishnatulasi, kattarvazha and those like arayal and peral too have been exhibited.

Apart from guinea pigs and rabbits, the KAU has also exhibited its new variety of hen, Gramasree, and the Kuttanadan duck. Books on agriculture are also on sale.

The Department of Agriculture has exhibited varieties of coconut, arecanut and tapioca. The other exhibits include koovalam, brahmi, chembakam, sarvasugandhi and mylanchi. The District Industries Centre too has set up a stall.

The Rubber Board stall has products and books on rubber. The Kerala State AIDS Control Society, Health Department and KERAFED also have put up stalls.

The ISRO's stall has prototypes of different types of launch vehicles and satellites, apart from a whole array of information of telecommunication and space.

The Coconut Development Board stall has showcased different products made from coconut - chips, coconut milk, packaged tender coconut water and so on. ANERT has come up with a whole lot of solar-powered products and bio-gas utilities. Hindustan Newsprint Limited has shown the evolution of newsprint and the emphasis is on quality. It has highlighted its farm-forestry scheme, in which many farmers are involved.

The Plantation Corporation and the Nadukkara Agro-Processing Company (makers of pineapple juice) too have stalls.

The Medical Mission Hospital, Kolencherry, has put up a huge stall, exhibiting internal organs of humans and the various stages of evolution of foetus.

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