College of Agriculture, Tripura and NABARD Promote Nendran Banana for Rural Entrepreneurship
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, December 1, 2025
The College of Agriculture, Tripura, in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), successfully organized a one-day programme on Field Day and Training on Value Addition of Nendran Banana on 29 November 2025 at the College campus. The initiative aimed to enhance participants knowledge on current agricultural issues, pest and disease management, and value-added processing of Nendran banana, a crop with growing potential for rural entrepreneurship in Tripura.
The programme was organized under the NABARD-supported project titled Promotion and Popularization of Nendran Banana through Mass Production, Field Demonstration and Hands-on Training of Chips Making for Entrepreneurship Development in Tripura.
The event began with an introductory discussion highlighting the importance of Nendran banana in boosting livelihoods and promoting agri-based entrepreneurship in the state. During the first technical session, participants took part in a field visit followed by a detailed lecture from Prof. Debashish Sen, who elaborated on the scope and marketing opportunities for Nendran banana-based enterprises in Tripura.
This was followed by a live pest identification session by Dr. Budhachandra Thangjam, who explained major pest challenges and their scientific management. Dr. Niren Majumder addressed key field diseases affecting Nendran banana and shared practical management strategies relevant to local agro-climatic conditions.
In the afternoon session, Dr. Thingreingam Irenaeus KS conducted a hands-on training on Nendran banana chips making, demonstrating the entire process, from selection and processing to hygiene protocols, packaging, and storage techniques for value-added products. Participants later shared feedback, expressing that the training was highly beneficial and helped them gain practical skills in preparing market-ready banana chips. Freshly prepared chips were distributed to all attendees and dignitaries.
Shri Thyagarajan Subramanian, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, graced the programme and appreciated the project’s progress. He encouraged participants to adopt chips making and other value-added ventures as viable avenues for entrepreneurship.
A total of 35 farmers and rural entrepreneurs from West Tripura, Gomati, and Khowai districts, along with jawans from the CRPF Group Centre, Damdamia, participated in the valedictory session. The programme built upon earlier similar initiatives that engaged farmers from Kakraban, Khowai, Sepahijala, Agartala, and other regions, further strengthening the movement toward a Nendran banana–based rural entrepreneurship ecosystem in Tripura.
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