Port Blair, Sept. 30: Coconut being the major plantation crop of these Islands, the Department of Agriculture through High Value Agriculture Development Agency (HVADA) is implementing various schemes to improve the productivity of Coconut and technologies involved in its value addition.

Under the National Horticulture Mission Scheme, High Value Agriculture Development Agency has deputed a team of 25 farmers which includes tribal farmers from Car Nicobar and Teressa under Coconut Mission and five departmental staff to undergo six-day training on 'Value Addition of Coconut' from 30th Sept to 5th October 2012 at Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala. The team will also visit Indian Institute of Spices Research Station (IISRS), Calicut; Regional Agriculture Research Station, Waynad; RATTC RAIDCO Factory, Horticulture Farm, Malampuzha etc.

The team is lead by Shri. Thaniarasu, Agriculture Assistant and they have started their tour to Kerala via Chennai on 25th Sept, 2012 by M.V. Swarajdweep.

The training programme will include sessions on the improved package of practices of coconut cultivation, technologies involved in value addition of coconut, inter-cropping in coconut, mushroom cultivation and also skill demonstrations on preparation of virgin coconut oil, snow ball tender coconut, coir making, squash, coconut chips, coconut pickles etc. and visit to various Coconut processing centers, coir making units and progressive farmers' fields. This will acquaint them with the recent technologies adopted for the cultivation, value addition and processing aspects of coconut.