Summary:
Trichy: Banana farmers from the delta region expressed their expectations that the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) functioning from Trichy should extend its service beyond its capacity and market their produce. While expressing their expectations to the scientists of the research centre, the farmers demanded that they should set up a lab to formulate quality micronutrients for their produce so that they could use them without any apprehensions about the quality and genuineness. For banana, the centre had mentioned two states, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Rajaram said.Rajaram said that the farmers should unite to take forward the message to the Union government about the necessity of setting up of the processing centre in Tamil Nadu only. They aslo sought the establishment of a food processing unit in Tamil Nadu alone.Addressing a function at Kisan Mela, organised on Friday to commemorate the 25th foundation day of NRCB established in 1993, V Rajaram, working president of Cauvery Delta Farmers' Welfare Association, Mahadanapuram, said that this centre is helping farmers export traditional banana varieties like Nendran and Ney Poovan to Gulf countries.“Farmers are exporting their produce in their own name, which has less brand value. Instead, if either the NRCB or the horticulture department of the state government would allow the farmers to use their tag, the exporters found scattered in various small units can come under an umbrella and can kick-start the export process in a bigger and better way,” he added.The Union government had announced to set up 10 food processing centres in 10 different states for various kinds of produce..