VAIGA 2026 fest held from February 11 to 16 at Anayara World Market; Agriculture Minister stresses value addition and entrepreneurship as key to enhancing farmersâ income.
The pavilion of the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA) emerged as a major attraction at the VAIGA 2026 held from February 11 to 16 at the World Market. Organised by the State Agriculture Department, the festival featured more than 250 stalls showcasing innovations, value-added products and entrepreneurial initiatives in agriculture.
The event was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister P. Prasad, who highlighted the need for greater focus on value addition and entrepreneurship to improve farmers’ income. He said farmer collectives and producer organisations should prioritise processing and marketing to make agriculture more profitable.
The CISSA pavilion showcased value-added products reflecting Kerala’s agricultural diversity. These included forest honey, Karimunda pepper, moringa powder, sweet potato powder, kudampuli (Garcinia),Thiruvanvandoor Pathiyan jaggery etc. Tissue culture banana plants and indoor plants were also displayed, drawing the attention of visitors and buyers.
Several Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) associated with CISSA — Pothencode FPCL, Ekatha FPCL, Koyyikkalnadu FPCL, Vamanapuram FPCL, Gramasamrudhi, Yadhavakulam FPCL and Chirayinkeezhu FPCL — participated in the festival, marketing their products and interacting with prospective buyers.
Strengthening Market Linkages
A Business-to-Business (B2B) meet held at the O By Tamara on February 13 brought together around 130 producers and 96 traders. CISSA participated in the meet and signed agreements with buyers and exporters, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the supply of moringa powder in the presence of the Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture.
Organisers said the B2B interactions helped strengthen market linkages and created new opportunities for expanding indigenous agricultural products to wider domestic and international markets. The CISSA stall also received a large number of enquiries from buyers, indicating promising business prospects for the participating FPOs.
