FPC gets government support to commercially produce micro nutrients for banana crop

TIRUCHI

The Srirangam Banana Farmers Producers Company, promoted under the Vazhndhu Kattuvom Scheme, will soon commercially produce micro nutrients for banana crop availing the technology developed by the ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB).

The farmers producers company (FPC), which counts about 1,200 banana growers as its members, already produces and sells organic farm inputs such as vermi compost, enriched compost, panchakavya and others through a retail outlet at Sirugamani in Tiruchi. It has been sanctioned a grant of ₹9.19 lakh under the business innovation fund of the Vazhndhu Kattuvom Scheme for manufacturing Banana Sakthi, the micro nutrient developed by the NRCB in Tiruchi. District Collector M. Pradeep Kumar handed over the cheque for the amount to the members of the FPC recently.

“NRCB has agreed to provide the technology to us and some of our members will soon undergo training at the centre. We plan to establish a manufacturing unit soon by renting out space at Primary Processing Centre for Banana at Thiruchendurai,” P. Natarajan, CEO, Srirangam Banana FPC, told The Hindu. Apart from supplying the micro nutrient to its members, the company also plans to sell it other banana growers.

K.I. Aaron Joshva Rusewelt, District Executive Officer, Vazhndhu Kattuvom Scheme, said the FPC was the first to avail the innovation grant in the district.