ICAR conducts entrepreneurship skill development training for farmers

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• Participants showcase their value-added products, including pickles, beverages, and dried snacks during the skill development training.

  • DIMAPUR — The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Peren, in collaboration with ICAR Nagaland Centre, Meziphema, organised a five-day entrepreneurship skill development training for farmer producer organisations (FPOs) on fruit and vegetable processing and their value addition at ICAR Nagaland Centre, Meziphema, from March 24 to the 28th.
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• According to an update, the programme was conducted under the leadership and supervision of Dr. H Kalita, head of the Regional Centre, ICAR Nagaland, to make the members of four FPOs aware of the importance of entrepreneurship development through agriculture, their value addition, and market linkage under the FPO scheme.
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• Hiazu Meru, Deputy Commissioner of Peren, attended the inaugural function as the special guest and congratulated KVK Peren for organising the training.

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• During his speech, he emphasised entrepreneurship development, particularly by identifying young people, the importance of capturing the local market for product marketing, targeting offseason crop cultivation, and adopting agriculture as a business model. He also highlighted the concept of crop rotation.
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• He encouraged the participants to avail themselves of various government subsidies and welfare schemes, such as the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme, the Comprehensive Micro-Finance Initiative, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, the Atal Pension Yojana, the PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, etc. He also addressed the importance of collaboration between different departments for the benefit of the farming community in Peren district.
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• Dr. Kalita, in his speech, highlighted the importance of FPOs and their role in the marketing of products. He advised the participants to work sincerely and in consultation with all the experts and also assured them of collaborative advanced training on branding, packaging, and marketing for the FPOs.
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• During the five-day training, four theory sessions and four practical sessions covering all aspects of value addition in fruits and vegetables, sorting, packaging, labelling, branding, and marketing channels and scopes were delivered by experts from NSRLM-Peren (Amos Newme), Ilandlo Services Pvt. Ltd, Dimapur (Imtisunep Longchar), ICAR Nagaland Centre, and KVK Dimapur.
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• Eleven types of value-added products (lemon and orange RTS, ginger candy, turmeric powder, green chilli and tree bean pickles, soya milk and tofu, dehydrated chayote) were prepared during the practical sessions under the guidance of scientists Dr. Aabon W Yanthan, Dr. S Ruth Assumi, Dr. Azeze Seyie, and Dr. Chingakham Sima Chanu of ICAR Nagaland Centre.
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• The training programme was attended by 23 participants from four FPOs of Peren district under KVK Peren as CBBO. Certificates and inputs, such as packaging materials, were distributed during the valedictory session.