Over 440 farmers from 11 districts in the State have been provided hands-on training in banana cultivation under a programme organised by ICAR National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) in association with Agricultural Technology Management Agency – Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms Scheme (ATMA-SSEPERS) over the past couple of months.
The 1-3 day training sessions were intended to help farmers emerge ‘experts in banana cultivation’. Forty farmers from Villupuram, Kanyakumari, Chengalpattu, Thiruvarur, Dindigul, Ranipet, Pudukkottai, the Nilgiris, Thanjavur, Karur and Theni have undergone the training, according to a NRCB press release.
Each training programme was formulated with different modules with respect to banana improvement, production, protection, post-harvest and value addition. Extension and field visits were part of the training. Farmers were provided with a holistic view of banana cultivation from selection of suckers to value addition.
S. Uma, Director ICAR- NRCB and course director, said the initiative was conceptualised with the amalgamation of both practical and theory components on best practices in banana cultivation. It was designed to help farmers understand the science behind each cultivation practices and they could apply them on field not only for banana but for other crops as well. She indicated that the training would be extended to more districts.
C. Karpagam, Principal Scientist (Agricultural Extension) and Coordinator of the programme, said the trainees in turn would take the technologies they learnt to farmers in their districts. The database of the trainees would be maintained and used for NRCB’s future outreach programmes such as front line demonstrations, on farm trials, kela melas and development of banana cafeteria in their districts.
