Government of TamilNadu, organized technologies of cassava for enhancing productivity and farm income on 03 February 2025 at Thonur village, Pachamalai hills, Tiruchirapalli

ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Tiruchirapalli; AICRP TC TCRS, Yethapur, Salem; Tribal Welfare department, Govt. of Tamil Nadu; Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tiruhirapalli and Department of Horticulture, Government of Tamil Nadu, organized a training programme on Improved varieties and technologies of cassava for enhancing productivity and farm income on 03 February 2025 at Thonur village, Pachamalai hills, Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP).
Dr. R. Selvarajan, Director, ICAR-NRCB, Trichy, was the Chief Guest and delivered inaugural address. The Chief Guest lauded the efforts of ICAR-CTCRI for the release of high yielding varieties with high starch and cassava mosaic disease resistance viz., Sree Reksha, Sree Sakthi, Sree Suvarna and Sree Kaveri and emphasized the need for adoption of these improved varieties and technologies for improving the livelihood of tribal farmers in Pachamalai hills, Trichy. Dr. T. Makeshkumar, Head, Division of Crop Protection, ICAR-CTCRI, delivered Presidential address. He stressed the need for establishment of seed villages on improved varieties of cassava for replacement of old varieties, adoption of soil and water conservation measures and capacity building of farmers on production and value addition technologies for enhancing income of the farmers in the region. Dr. Vikramaditya Pandey, Principal Scientist, Division of Horticultural Science, ICAR, New Delhi was the Guest of Honour who spoke about the significance of Tribal Sub Plan for the development of tribal farmers through innovations in farming, capacity building and convergence of stakeholders and entrepreneurship development.
Shri. R. Sureshkumar, Joint Director, Tribal Welfare Department, Govt. of Tamil Nadu; Shri.K. Vijaybhaskar, District Project Officer, Tribal Welfare Department, Trichy; Dr. S.R. Venkatachalam, Head, Tapioca & Castor Research Station, TNAU, Yethapur, Salem; Dr. Rajababu, Head, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tiruchirapalli; Smt. Senthilrani, Assistant Director of Horticulture, Govt. of Tamil Nadu; Shri. S. Ponvaithyanathan, State Project Manager (Livelihood) and Dr. D. Balu, Honorary Consultant, Tribal Welfare Department, Govt. of Tamil Nadu participated and had interaction with farmers.
Dr. T. Makeshkumar, Dr. V. Ramesh, Dr. R. Muthuraj and Dr. D. Jaganathan from ICAR-CTCRI and Dr. M. Velmurugan from AICRP TC, TCRS, Yethapur handled technical sessions. Planting materials of cassava (Sree Reksha, Sree Kaveri, Yethapur2), sweet potato (Bhu Sona, Bhu Krishna, Sree Kanaka), Micronol for cassava, value added products from tuber crops and training kits were distributed to the farmers. Exhibition stalls showcasing varieties and technologies of cassava and horticultural crops and stakeholders’ interface were organized as part of the event. About 160 farmers, officials and other stakeholders participated in the event. The programme was organized under the guidance of Dr. S.K. Singh, DDG (Horti.Sci), ICAR, New Delhi and Dr. G.Byju, Director, ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram.