In a bid to empower rural women with self-sustaining skills, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya’s Directorate of Extension Services, in collaboration with the State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI), Chhattisgarh, and the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, conducted a six-day training programme on ‘Processing and Packaging of Locally Available Fruits and Vegetables’. The programme, which took place from February 27 to March 4 in villages Dharampura and Jora, concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony.

 

Dr S S Tuteja, Director of Extension Services, presided over the closing ceremony and emphasised the potential of preserved fruit and vegetable products as a viable business model. He encouraged participants to establish self-help groups for producing and marketing jams, jellies, pickles, and other processed food items, assuring them of full technical support from the Directorate of Extension Services. A total of 56 women aged 18 to 40 underwent hands-on training in food preservation techniques.

 

They learned the preparation of fruit-based products such as jams, jellies, squashes, nectars, tomato ketchup, chutneys, and sauces, as well as pickles made from various vegetables, tamarind, and mushrooms. Experts also guided them in processing tuber crops and enhancing their market value. The training was coordinated by Dr Neeta Khare in Dharampura and Dr Jyoti Bhatt in Jora, under the supervision of Dr Deepti Jha, the programme’s nodal officer. Faculty members from the Directorate of Extension Services and subject experts imparted technical knowledge to the participants.