TIRUNELVELI
Assembly Speaker M. Appavu laid the foundation stone for a banana auction centre with cold storage and value-addition centre at Padalaiyaarkulam near Kalakkad on Wednesday. The facility will be created on an outlay of Rs. 6.25 crore.
Since the stretch between Thirukkurungudi and Cheranmahadevi, which is closer to the Western Ghats and blessed with a good number of irrigation tanks, is known for banana cultivation, an auction centre is functioning at Sirumalanji near Nanguneri. As the growers would bring on Thursdays the harvested banana to this auction centre that does not have modern facilities, it would attract a huge number of buyers from various parts of southern districts and Kerala.
So, farmers demanded a modern banana auction centre with cold storage facility and value-addition centre. Collector V. Vishnu got permission to establish a banana value-addition centre at Kalakkad where banana chips is being prepared besides making ornamental products from the banana fibre. He brought trainers from Bengaluru and Hyderabad to train women of Kalakkad region for making ornamental products from banana fibre.
Even as the banana chips and banana fibre ornamental products are enjoying excellent market, the new facility to be created at Padalaiyaarkulam is expected to boost banana cultivation to the next level.
“The Tamil Nadu Government, which has given 1 lakh free power connections to farm sector in the past one year, has sanctioned this new facility, which will be a boon to Kalakkad area,” Mr. Appavu said.
The auction centre will have grading area, auction area, packing area, cold storage, value-addition area for making banana chips, banana powder, banana fibre, ripening rooms, administrative office, weighbridge with 100 tonne capacity, drinking water, toilets etc.
“Moreover, the road leading to the auction centre will be re-laid with streetlights,” said Mr. Vishnu.
The Speaker handed over financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 11.38 lakh to 5 beneficiaries for starting their business ventures.
Sub-Collector, Cheranmahadevi, C.A. Rishabh, Nanguneri MLA Ruby R. Manoharan, Joint Director of Agriculture (In-Charge) Ashok Kumar, Deputy Director Agricultural Marketing Poovannan and local body representatives were present.
