ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana (recipient of the Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR Institution Award in 2020), Tiruchirappalli, celebrated the the 30 th Foundation Day and Kisan Mela on August 21, 2023. The focal point of this year’s Kisan mela was on the use of Artificial Intelligence in banana production and marketing technologies. Dr. R Selvarajan, Director of NRCB, in his presidential address highlighted that ICAR NRCB conducts global research on bananas and maintains Asia’s largest gene bank for the fruit. The Chief Guest Dr. V. Palanimuthu, Director of the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management (NIFTEM-T), Thanjavur, extended his best wishes to ICAR-NRCB for its commendable research and development in the banana sector. He emphasized the importance of Central and State government policies in post-harvest technology and value addition to increase the farmers' income. He also highlighted the interest shown by entrepreneurs from Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu in banana marketing. He stressed the need for adhering to good agricultural practices in banana cultivation and implementing controlled atmospheric storage facilities for banana exports. He discussed emerging technologies such as automated irrigation systems and agricultural drones.
Dr. K. Alagusundaram, MD & CEO of the Tamil Nadu Food Processing & Agri Export Promotion Corporation, and Dr. V. Venkatasubramanian, Director of ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Bengaluru, were the Guests of Honour. During the function, achievements of various stakeholders were recognized and 14 awards were presented to the Best Banana Farmers, Best Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Best Technology Dissemination, Best Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Best Entrepreneurs, and Best Technical Staff. The event attracted around 1000 participants from all corners of the state. The event featured the sharing of experiences by three progressive farmers who successfully adopted NRCB technologies, resulting in significant achievements in banana production and marketing. An exhibition with 30 stalls was also organized as part of the programme. Dr. C. Karpagam, Principal Scientist at ICAR-NRCB, Tiruchirappalli, delivered the welcome address, and Dr. M. Mayilvaganan, Principal Scientist at ICAR-NRCB, Tiruchirappalli, conveyed the vote of thanks.