Overview
- The three-day fair runs January 9–11 at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry, organised by Sahaja Samrudha with Desiri Naturals and opened by local religious leaders and MP Yaduveer Wadiyar.
- CFTRI director Giridhar Parvatam cited a surge in cold-pressed oil demand, noting a $2,428.8 million Indian market in 2024 and 16.5 million tonnes of edible-oil imports in 2022–23.
- Yaduveer asked CFTRI to research the nutritional profile of gaana oils so consumers can better understand potential health benefits.
- The mela features bullock-driven presses, live castor oil extraction, CFTRI adulteration-detection demonstrations, farmer trainings, and more than 50 oil varieties alongside cottage-industry stalls.
- Speakers tied urban patronage and expanded oilseed cultivation to higher farm incomes, urging shifts from tobacco and pointing to castor and sunflower as viable options.