The Agro Climate Research Centre (ACRC), Directorate of Crop Management, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), organised a one-day farmers’ training programme on “Training on value addition and marketing of traditional pulses” on Monday.
The programme was conducted under the scheme “Exploiting Climate Resilient Crops for Improving Nutritional Security under Projected Climate Scenario in Developing Countries”, sponsored by Grand Challenges Canada.
Kokilavani, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Meteorology, welcomed the gathering and highlighted the importance of project activities and traditional pulses.
The primary objective of the training was to raise awareness about the consumption of nutritious traditional pulses, strengthening resilience against lifestyle-related diseases.
Sathyamoorthy, Head of the centre, gave a special address on the changing climate and its impact on agricultural production.
Karthikeyan, Head, Centre for Post Harvest Technology at the University, explained the significance of the preference for value-added products by the consumers.
The training programme was presided over and inaugurated by Kalarani, Director of Crop Management at the University. In her address, she highlighted the importance of women empowerment and emphasised the vital role women play in agriculture and rural development.
She also elaborated on the impact of climate change on crops and explained how farmers can effectively utilise TNAU technologies for value addition to enhance productivity and income.
Geetha, Professor, Food Science and Nutrition, explained about the value-added products of pulses, while Malarkodi, Professor, Agricultural Rural Management, detailed the business strategies to be followed before beginning as a start-up.
Jithendran, Divisional Manager, explained about the loan possibilities for the farmers, and Gnanasambandam, MD &CEO, ABIS, explained the role of Agri Business Development to become the farmer entrepreneur.
The programme witnessed the participation of start-ups and farmers from the North Western Zone of Tamil Nadu. Parveen, Assistant Professor, Food and Agricultural Processing Engineering, delivered the vote of thanks.
