The Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT) and the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, organised jointly a stakeholders’ meet for the agriculture and food industry here on Friday in which a large number of farmers, scientists, and students were exposed to a range of avenues that could provide the right platform for post-harvest production techniques for value addition of crops.
Presiding over the programme, IICPT Director K. Singaravadivel pointed out that providing education and training for creating strong human resource capacities for the food processing industry was the need of the hour. The IICPT was involved in offering research and development services for solving problems of producers and food processing industries on preservation and value addition.
The institute offered hands on and skill-oriented short-term training programmes on food processing technologies and handling of analytical equipment on testing food quality and safety, he said.
CFTRI Director Prof. Ram Rajasekharan called upon delta farmers to raise diverse agricultural products depending on the soil and other climatic conditions. “Go beyond just paddy cultivation and we will provide the technological and training back up.” Innovate and earn was the current concept and farmers needed to take that into consideration by growing pulses, millets and oilseeds, he said.
Periyar Maniyammai University vice-chancellor N. Ramachandran counselled farmers to embrace recent and emerging technologies to make agriculture a viable venture.
He advised farmers to keep abreast of the latest governmental schemes to derive full benefit out of them.
R. Sankaran, Director, Frigoscan Food Limited, Chennai, stressed the need for delta farmers to nurture entrepreneurial skills if they had to compete with the global trendsetters in agriculture and food processing industry.
CFTRI scientists Dr. Arunkumar and Dr. L. Prasanna Anjaneya Reddy conducted technical sessions of agro technology of processing Quinoa, a South American grain crop grown primarily for its edible seeds, and Chia, a plant of Mexican and South American origin and well known for its “neutraceutical” value.
They pointed out that Quinoa and Chia were gaining wider currency as ``super food'' in India and in the international market.
A. Amudhasurabi, Head, Department of Technology Dissemination, welcomed the gathering while Prof. Alice R.P. Sujeetha proposed a vote of thanks.
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