NABARD MABIF in collaboration with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, NABARD – National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University organized a “GI Mahotsav cum MABIF Mela 1.0” held from 24th to 26th May, 2024 at the Agricultural College & Research Institute, Madurai.
The event featured esteemed Chief Guests, including Dr. V. Geethalakshmi, Vice Chancellor-TNAU, Shri. Shankar Narayan Ramanathan, CGM-NABARD RO, Dr. E. Somasundaram, Director, DABD-TNAU, Dr. N. Senthil, Dean, SPGS-TNAU, Dr. P.P. Mahendran, Dean, AC&RI-Madurai, Dr. S. Kanchana, Dean, CSC&RI-Madurai, Dr. S. Nagoor Ali Jinnah, Former CGM – NABARD, Smt. Pragya Chaturvedi, Intellectual Property, UK of New Delhi, Shri. Sivakumar, Assistant Registrar of Trade Marks & G.I. Head of office GI Registry Chennai, Thiru K. Muralidharan, Additional Director of Agriculture, Er. Ganesh Moorthy K, CEO, NABARD MABIF, Mr. A. S. Shakthi Balan, NABARD DDM-Madurai and Shri. Harish, NABARD DDM-Dindigul.
The event showcased over 190 stalls, including more than 40 stalls displaying products with Geograpical Indication (GI) tag such as Madurai Malli, Madurai Sungudai Malli, Kanchipuram silk sarees, Toda embroidery work, Thanjavur dolls, etc. There are over 150 stalls for Bankers, Govt. Departments like TNRTP, Agmark, etc., and Startups & FPOs as well as from the agri tech and food tech industry and stalls which sell farmers’ produce. The main objective of mela is to promote the products of new and up coming entrepreneurs and also to take the Gl products to the global market.
The 3 days event provided a unique platform for startups and FPOs to showcase their innovations, foster networking opportunities, facilitate market access, engage with potential investors, raise awareness and education, and receive support within the startup ecosystem. Various awards were also presented to recognize the outstanding contributions of GIs, startups, FPOs, students and women entrepreneurs. Each category had three awards: Best GI Stall, Best Startup Stall, Best FPO Stall, Best Women Entrepreneur Stall and Best Student Stall.
