Latest technologies in banana cultivation, post-harvest management of fruits, water conservation using drip irrigation, supply chain and fruit care were discussed at the banana stakeholders meeting held in the city on Wednesday.
The day-long event was brought up by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Salem.
District Collector V. Sampath in his inaugural address, said both the Centre and State Governments have been implementing various programmes for motivating banana farmers. The Centre has come to the assistance of the farmers affected by drought and other natural calamities by introducing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (cropinsurance scheme).
Mr. Sampath said scientists from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and other research institutions have been imparting training in production of value-added products from banana and the farmers should make use it. Setting up of small industrial units for producing banana juice, banana toffees, jam, and chips will help in creating employment opportunities in rural areas.
He said that farmers have been suffering due to increased production cost and non-stable price for the fruits in the markets. To overcome this, they should concentrate in adopting latest technologies to bring down the production cost. In this regard, the District Collector said that raising plantain crops adopting tissue culture method has proved a turning point and a big hit.
General secretary of Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation G. Ajeethan called upon the farmers to concentrate on taking the fruits without any damage to the consumers.
He said that various steps taken by the Centre and the State government enable in making Tamil Nadu a power-surplus State. Similarly, the State government should take effective steps for making Tamil Nadu a water-surplus State by 2020, by creating new water bodies, renovating the existing ones.
Banana festival
Commending the CII for organising such programmes, Mr. Ajeethan said the three banana festivals held in the past discussed on overcoming and managing the drought, latest farm technologies, which immensely benefited the farmers. The fourth banana festival has been planned in Madurai in the month of July, he said and called upon the farmers to participate in the same in large numbers.
Chairman of CII- Salem S.S. Yuvaraj presided over the inaugural.
The president of Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation, A.P. Karuppiah, Deputy Director of Horticulture Prabhu, vice-chairman of CII (Salem) D. Ramesh Kumar, spoke.
In the sessions that followed, scientists from National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchi, TNAU, officials of the cold storage companies and drip irrigation companies addressed the participants.
