Sri Vijaya Puram, Nov. 26: The Department of Agriculture has deputed 4 officials to undergo 6 days hands-on training with effect from 24th to 29th November, 2025 at the ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu for developing Tissue Culture Protocols for Region-specific Banana varieties of A & N Islands.
The officials are being trained for the development of Tissue Culture protocol of region-specific banana varieties such as Korangi banana called as Hill Banana, the tastiest variety and the Red Banana called as Chenkadali/ Chevvazhai. This training will be a significant step towards promoting the cultivation of local banana varieties through advanced scientific methods.
The existing Tissue Culture Laboratory located at the Organic Horticulture Farm, Sippighat is fully equipped with state-of-the-art facility to produce healthy and disease-free tissue-cultured banana plantlets. With this upgrade in technical capacity, the Department aims to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of high-quality tissue-cultured plantlets of local banana varieties to farmers across the islands by promoting sustainable cultivation practices and improving crop productivity.
As the training progresses, the Department looks forward to scaling up production and further expanding support to local cultivators. The upgraded technical skills and enhanced production capacity will empower local farmers, safeguard indigenous varieties and improve productivity across the Islands.