ICAR-CCRI, Nagpur Organizes ‘Citriसारथि 6.0’ to Promote Youth Citripreneurship and Innovation in Food Processing

16 October 2026, Nagpur

CitriHub – the Agribusiness Incubation Centre of ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur, organized ‘Citriसारथि 6.0 – Citripreneurship Development and Youth Connect Programme’ on the occasion of World Food Day today. The programme aimed to sensitize young minds towards citripreneurship and expose them to emerging opportunities in food processing, value addition, technological innovation, and enterprise development.

Dr Atul Narayan Vaidya, Vice-Chancellor, LIT University, Nagpur, graced the inaugural ceremony as the Chief Guest. In his speech, he emphasized on the importance of innovation, skill upliftment, time management and discipline to become a successful entrepreneur.

Dr R. K. Sonkar, Director In-charge, ICAR-CCRI presided over the programme. He emphasized the importance of transforming scientific innovations into commercially viable enterprises and encouraging youth to become job creators rather than merely job seekers, particularly in the area of food processing.

A major highlight of the inaugural ceremony was the launch of two innovative citrus-based functional food products (Mandarin Nutri-Bar and Mandarin Nutri-Yogurt) developed by ICAR-CCRI.

A publication (Laboratory Manual on HPLC-Based Profiling of Citrus Phytochemicals and Metabolites) was also released. These initiatives formed part of the Government of India's Reform Utsav, being observed from 17 September to 17 October, 2026.

The technical session featured presentation by industry experts, scientists and academicians. The participants were provided exposure to the Institute's research and processing facilities.

More than 30 aspiring citripreneurs and students from the Department of Food Technology, LIT University, participated in the programme. Scientists of ICAR-CCRI and Faculty members of LIT University also participated in the event.

The programme reaffirmed ICAR-CCRI's commitment to nurturing youth-led innovations, strengthening academia–industry–research linkages, and promoting technology-driven citripreneurship in alignment with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

(Source: ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur)