Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute (AEC and RI) at Kumulur near Tiruchi is all set to get funding from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the ICAR and TNAU on Friday during the silver jubilee of AEC and RI at Kumulur on Friday in the presence of K. Ramasamy, Vice-Chancellor, TNAU, and K. Alagusundaram, Deputy Director-General (Agricultural Engineering), ICAR.
The MoU provides for funding from ICAR for initiatives in processing pulses, millets, fruits and vegetables under Consortia Research Platform (CRP) on secondary agriculture with an outlay of about ₹60 lakh, initially for three years.
The project will be implemented by the Department of Agricultural Processing, AEC and RI.
Hands-on training would be provided to farmers, students and youth aspiring to become entrepreneurs.
Dr. Alagusundaram indicated that the ICAR would extend ₹25 lakh a year as of now. “This is a continuous project under our initiatives to promote secondary agriculture,” he said.
“A team of representatives from the NITI Aayog is scheduled to visit the State on January 21 to study the functioning (of the systems),” Dr. Ramasamy said.
Despite witnessing floods and drought, the State has bagged the Krishi Karman Award twice over the past five years for its performance in food grain production.
K. Kathirvel, Dean, AEC&RI, Kumulur, explained the research initiatives taken up by the institute.
