ICAR–NRCB Celebrates 32nd Foundation Day & Kisan Mela

21 August 2025, Tiruchirappalli

ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana celebrated its 32nd Foundation Day and Kisan Mela on the theme “Smart Banana Farming for Wealth and Health,” with the participation of nearly 1,000 farmers.

Dr. Tusar Kanti Behera, Director, ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, commended NRCB’s efforts in producing quality planting material and emphasized entrepreneurship, market linkages, and the role of FPOs.

In his presidential address, Dr. R. Selvarajan, Director, ICAR–NRCB, announced the release of two elite clones—NRCB Selection 16, a pro-vitamin A-rich variety (10 times higher than Grand Nain), and NRCB Selection 19, a high-yielding, disease-resistant Pacha Ladan type. He also highlighted the release of eight climate-resilient varieties and promotion of GI-tagged and traditional bananas to ensure diversity.

Mr. S. Annadurai, Director, Tribal Development Board, Chennai, announced an MoU with ICAR–NRCB for banana-based tribal development projects.

Dr. R. Thangavelu, Director, ICAR-National Research Institute for Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi, stressed Integrated Pest Management.

Dr. P. Govindaraj, Director, ICAR–Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, appreciated NRCB’s contributions in varietal development, crop management, and value addition.

This year, NRCB supplied 78,000 tissue-cultured plants across 25 districts using bioreactor technology, generated up to 40,000 plants from just 1 ml of embryogenic cell suspension, and certified over four million virus-free mother plants. Smart farming technologies using AI, IoT, drones, and data analytics reduced water use by 25–30%, nitrogen by 50%, and potassium by 25% without yield loss. Fusarium wilt management projects were implemented in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, 10 training programmes and 246 capacity-building programmes benefitted more than 13,000 participants.

On the occasion, three MoUs were signed with the Tribal Welfare Department (Tamil Nadu), Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (Maharashtra), and the Government of Nagaland. The event also featured the release of three pamphlets and three new products, and distribution of 4,000 tissue-cultured banana saplings to SC farmers under the SCSP Sub-Plan.

To recognize excellence, 20 awards were presented to farmers, FPOs, entrepreneurs, KVKs, and technical staff. Panel discussions on “AI Interventions in Banana Farming and Value Chain” and “Quality Planting Material to Boost Banana Productivity” engaged farmers and stakeholders. More than 20 exhibition stalls showcased innovations in banana farming.

(Source: ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli)