D K Shivakumar speaks at the Safal packaging and logo launch in Bengaluru on October 29. Photo: DIPR, supplied via WhatsApp.
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has urged the Safal edible-oil brand to use online sales and expand beyond the state, saying farmer cooperatives must strengthen their marketing as well as production to compete with private companies.
He was speaking at the launch of Safal’s redesigned packs and logo at a private hotel in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 29. He said the revamp should help secure better markets for farmers’ oilseeds and deliver quality products to consumers.
With consumers increasingly buying products online, Shivakumar called for efforts to take Safal products to households across Karnataka. He said the brand should earn public confidence on the lines of Nandini and Mysore Sandal, while also building demand in other states.
The remarks set out his expectations for market expansion; the release did not announce a new online ordering service or an implementation timetable.
Safal, which the release said began in 1984, must compete through quality and purity, he said. He urged cooperative institutions to work together and give greater attention to marketing and consumer confidence.
Referring to crops including groundnut, sunflower and coconut, Shivakumar said value addition and better market access were important for farmers. He said cooperatives had a role in protecting growers as production costs rose and crop prices fell short of expectations.
He reiterated the government’s support for efforts to improve markets and farmers’ incomes. The event centred on the brand’s new presentation and the need to strengthen its reach.
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