Port Blair, March 1: Three days training programme on “Organic Production and Post-Harvest Management of Spices” was conducted by ICAR- Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (CIARI) in collaboration with Directorate of Spices and Arecanut Development Board (DASD) at SURABI NGO, Caddlegunj. The programme was inaugurated on 25.02.2021 by Dr. Augustine B. Jerard, Director, ICAR-CIARI in the presence of Rev. Bro. Simolin Ferk, Director, SURABI.

About 65 participants from different parts of South Andaman attended the training programme on spices. The co-ordinators of the training programme, Dr. K. Abirami, Dr. V. Baskaran, Dr. V. Damodaran, Dr. Zamir Ahmed and Dr. L. B. Singh delivered lectures on organic production of spice crops like ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper and chillies.

As a special invitee, Dr. K. Venkatesan, Assistant Professor and HOD, Home Science department, JNRM College and Organizing Secretary of the training programme delivered lecture on “Entrepreneurship opportunities for organic spice production and its processing. Practical demonstration of cinnamon peeling was also done for the benefit of the participants.

During the valedictory function on 27th February 2021, Dr. Bhattacharya, In-Charge, Director, ICAR-CIARI distributed the planting material of spice crops to the participants and he urged them to take up spices cultivation in a community way.