Car Nicobar, Oct. 21: An interactive meeting cum training programme was organized on 15th October 2019 by ICAR-CIARI joining with A&N administration, KVK-Car Nicobar and National Horticulture Board (NHB) with the aim to promote horticulture development in Nicobar islands with special reference to vegetable cultivation in which over 200 participants including village headmen, farmers, officials of A&N administration, Department of Agriculture, A&N administration, officials from NHB, scientists from CIARI, KVK-Car Nicobar have actively took part.
The programme was presided over by Dr. B. Gangaiah, Director and co-ordinated by Dr. B. A. Jerard, Head, Division of Horticulture and Forestry, ICAR-CIARI. During the interaction, Dr. Ariz Ahammed IAS, Managing Director, National Horticulture Board (NHB), New Delhi.
The Chief Guest of the programme deliberated on the need to strengthen the vegetable sector in the Nicobar Islands highlighting the nutritional requirement and the need to increase the local vegetable production for health and social benefits. He also enumerated the efforts of NHB in addressing the horticulture development in the country through various schemes.
Dr. Monica Priyadharshini, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Nicobar District, Guest of Honour on the occasion narrated the efforts by the Administration and CIARI in uplifting the farmers. She urged the need to strengthen the horticulture development in the Nicobar Islands to generate employment and enhance availability of quality vegetables.
Dr. B. Gangaiah, Director, CIARI stressed the need to adopt the improved technologies for higher productivity and the need to use the scanty resources for maximizing the productivity.
Shri. Martin Luther, Secretary, Tribal Council, Car Nicobar stressed the need for creating more awareness among the Nicobar people and offered full cooperation from the Island community for providing training opportunities to the youth at leading mainland institutes on advanced vegetable production and entrepreneurship. He urged the Islanders to join hands to make Nicobar as self sufficient in vegetable production.
The participants enthusiastically took part in the deliberations, which had training sessions on vegetable cultivation, schemes by NHB, inputs distribution, requirements as per farmers’ perspectives, followed by field visits by the dignitaries.
The sessions were handled by Dr. B. A. Jerard, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Pandey, Head I/c, KVK, Car Nicobar, Dr. Zachariah George, SMS, Smt. Bindhu Bency, Agricultural Assistant, Shri. S.K. Singh, Farm manager, KVK and officials from NHB Shri. Bani Singh, Joint Director, Dr. Lal Singh, Shri. Dhal Singh, Shri. Prem Narayan, Deputy Directors.
Shri. Ramesh, Tehsildhar was the liaison officer to the visit of MD, NHB to Car Nicobar.
Dr. Ariz Ahammed, IAS and Dr. Monica Priyadharshini, IAS along with the team of officials later visited three progressive farmers viz., Shri. Patrick (Big Lapathy), Smt. Margreta (Tapoiming), Smt. Felicia (Tamaloo) who are actively contributing to the vegetable production in the Nicobar with the support of ICAR-CIARI.
The team appreciated efforts of ICAR-KVK, Nicobar in promoting the vegetable production in these resource scarce conditions with appropriate techniques and commitment.
The Deputy Commissioner while lauding the efforts of KVK team, indicated the possibility of providing a vegetable sale hut at HQ Perka for sale of Nicobar produced vegetables by the farmers.
Shri. S.K. Pandey, Head I/c, KVK has thanked all the officials and farmers for active participation.
Dr. Ariz Ahammed, IAS, MD, NHB formulated the road map for providing training to the youth of islands at leading mainland Institutes with NHB funding and collaboration of ICAR-CIARI, KVK-Car Nicobar and A& N Administration.
It was decided to send the selected farmers in batches of 25 at a time with the aim to reach 200 farmers from Nicobar District. He also suggested KVK and ICAR-CIARI to take forward demonstration of technologies such as low-cost protected cultivation structures and mushroom production in the Islands and expressed the full support of National Horticulture Board.