A group of farmers and agricultural officials from Basti district in Uttar Pradesh underwent training on “Improved production technologies for hi-tech banana cultivation” at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) here recently.
They were given an overview of the recent advancements in hi-tech banana cultivation during the five-day training programme, organised in collaboration with the State Department of Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh.
The programme aimed at equipping farmers with comprehensive knowledge of banana cultivation and covered various modules, including banana improvement, production, protection, post-harvest practices, and value addition. Extension activities and field visits were organised as part of the training, providing farmers a holistic understanding of banana cultivation from sucker selection to value addition, an NRCB press release said.
Latest advances such as automation and sensor-based irrigation systems, IoT-enabled disease detection systems, utilisation of drones, and production of value-added products were covered.
Speaking at the valediction of the training, R. Selvarajan, Director, NRCB, and Course Director, explained the research undertaken by the institution and its role as Asia’s largest gene bank for banana. Over the past year, NRCB has developed 60 technologies, published over 1,000 research articles, and acquired two patents for AI-based disease detection and suspension of Basel seeds.
The institution focuses on gene editing to combat fusarium wilt, a viral disease affecting bananas, and has organised 146 capacity-building programmes, benefiting thousands of farmers, entrepreneurs, and students.
C. Karpagam, Principal Scientist (Agricultural Extension), NRCB, and one of the programme coordinator, said the training conducted by scientists and technicians from various sections of NRCB would enable farmers to apply scientific principles not only for the cultivation of banana but also for other crops.
V. P. Singh, expert on banana tissue culture, delivered a talk on hi-tech tissue culture technique. Farmers were taken to Theni and Thirukatupalli to expose them to garden and wetland banana cultivation and adoption of various technologies in banana for export.
