National Traditional Paddy Festival in Virudhunagar.
Hands-on training in millet value addition.
(CREATE), in association with the Human Resource Foundation (HRF) Sivakasi, organized a National Traditional Paddy Festival and a training on millet value addition in K. Madathupatti village, Sattur Taluk, Viruthunagar district, on October 1, 2024. Ms. R. Saraswathi, Trainer & Proprietor of Swastik Industries, welcomed the gathering.
Mrs. Sumathi, Deputy Director of Agriculture, and Mr. Ayyapan, Deputy Director of the Farmers’ Market in Sivakasi, delivered the inaugural address, encouraging farmers to focus on adding value to their products to make farming a more economically viable enterprise.
Prof. Dr. P. Duraisingam, Chairman of CREATE, delivered a special address on the agro-ecological importance of traditional paddy cultivation. He highlighted the current market demand for organic traditional paddy varieties and urged farmers to cultivate more traditional varieties.
Mr. T. S. Anantha Sekar, Project Officer at EDII Bangalore, provided practical insights on food processing technologies for millet value addition.
Mr. Maanavaari Mariappan, an organic farmer from Thayilpatti village in Viruthunagar district and a follower of the late Ayya Nammalvar, shared his experiences with organic farming practices and expressed his gratitude to all participants and resource persons.
At the end of the program, each participating farmer received 2 kg of traditional paddy seeds at no cost.
