The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) at Thayanur near Tiruchi, and Gramalaya, a voluntary organisation, have signed an agreement for production of banana value added products through self-help groups.
A memorandum of understanding was signed by M.M. Mustaffa, Director, NRCB, and S.Damodaran, Founder Director, Gramalaya, on Wednesday, providing for the transfer of technology and training by the research centre to SHGs supported by the voluntary organisation in production of value added products such as pickles, juice, and handicrafts from banana.
The agreement envisages hand holding support by NRCB for production of value added products from banana for the next five years on non-exclusive basis.
Dr.Mustaffa said the agreement will help women group members get necessary training in production of banana products and would enhance their family income.
As the project area of Gramalaya is situated at Thottiyam block in Tiruchi district, where banana is a major crop, the SHGs can produce value added products with the locally available fruit with low investment. NRCB will help Gramalaya and its team members to produce high quality products, support them during the launching process, and link with potential organisations to promote the products in a profitable way.
He also disclosed that the NRCB would organise free training programmes on value added products from banana, banana fibre extraction and handicrafts making and post-harvest handling, packing, storage, and ripening techniques in banana for export and domestic markets at regular intervals twice in a year for the benefit of farming community and other stakeholders.
So far around 600 stakeholders have been trained on production of value added products from banana. Besides, 12 value added products have been commercialised through 20 entrepreneurs/firms. Appealing to farmers to utilise the opportunity, he said further details can be had from the NRCB website www.nrcb.res.in
Mr.Damodaran said the agreement would help the economic empowerment of more than 3000 women self-help group members in the Thottiyam block.
The training by NRCB would be a boon to them and they can produce five different products such as banana flower pickle, stem pickle, banana fruit juice, banana fig, and handicrafts from banana stem waste (coarse & fine fibre).
P.Sundararaju, Principal Scientist and Head, Crop Protection, K.N. Shiva, Senior Scientist and Programme Coordinator, NRCB, and T.N. Nalini, Programme Coordinator, self-help group for women, Gramalaya, spoke.
