Port Blair, Dec. 6: ICAR-CIARI in association with CCS-National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Jaipur has conducted a 3-day Banner Program on "New Dimensions in Agricultural Marketing: Focus Sector - Marketing of Organic Produce" from 27 to 29 November 2019 in its Garacharma Campus. 25 Middle level officials of Development Departments viz. Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry; NCUI, FPOs, ANCOFED, PG Scholar of Pondicherry University, Project Fellow of CIARI and local agripreneurs have participated.

The interactive programme had deliberation by K.C. Gummagolmath, MANAGE, Sathyendra Kumar, NIAM, M.G. Smilin, NABARD and S.K. Zamir Ahmed, T.P. Swarnam, L.B. Singh, D. Karunakaran, R. Jaya Kumaravaradan, and K.R. Kiran of CIARI on Agriculture Produce Marketing and Livestock Act 2017, AGMARK Grades and Standards, Model Contract Farming Act 2018 and Warehouse Development and Regulation Act; flagship programmes viz. RKVY and PMFBY; and issues related to challenges in value chain and marketing strategies of organic produce, market linkage through FPO, critical technologies for enhancing profitability in organic farming and NPOF/PGS Certification in organic farming followed by visit to organic farm of Smt. Chellammal and poultry hatchery of Shri Raja at Maccapad; climate resilient IFS of Shri Ashok Kumar Roy at Gopal Nagar, the newly established venue of vegetable haat at Chouldari, Bharati Primary Agricultural Credit Society at Ferrarganj and technological demonstration at KVK, Sippighat as informed by the Nodal Officer Dr. S.K. Zamir Ahmed. 

Speaking on the occasion of valedictory function on 29.11.2019, the chief guest Dr. B.A. Jerard, Directori/c lauded the efforts of the scientific team to have successfully completed a flagship programme which is of utmost importance to this Islands. He shared his experience of marketing agricultural produce in small island states which should be demand based to the locality and accordingly agricultural practices should be fine-tuned to suit the Island conditions and overseas. He also gave away the certificates to the trainees. 

ShriSathyendra Kumar, Assistant Professor, CCS-National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Jaipur thanked the Director, CIARI for accepting to conduct the programme which has opened new vistas in the area of agricultural marketing and MoU for upscaling the mandated programmes of both Institutes jointly for the benefit of policy makers. The trainees also gave their feedback on the programme. The programme was concluded by vote of thanks by Dr. L. B. Singh. The overall conduct of the programme was coordinated by R. Jaya Kumaravaradan, K.R. Kiran, L.B. Singh and D. Karunakaran.