UPASI TEA RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Nirar Dam BPO, Valparai-642 127 | Coimbatore (Dis), Tamil Nadu, INDIA.
Recognized by DSIR

KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRA

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UPASI Krishi Vigyan Kendra

Besides the role played by UPASI, the need was felt for improving the rural development in small growers sector and accordingly an obligation was put forth to the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to set up a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). Accordingly, the UPASI-KVK was established in September, 1982 and today the KVK has become a part and parcel of UPASI through its activities among the farming community, scientists, extension workers and Central and state government agencies. UPASI-KVK constructed a mini tea factory during 1994 with financial support of Tea Board, ICAR, CAPART and HADP with an objective of imparting training on quality tea preparation to factory personnel of small sector and to carry out adaptive research on CTC / orthodox tea manufacture.

Mandate of UPASI KVK includes planning and conducting production oriented, need based short and long duration training courses for the benefit of various target groups, follow-up information support to training courses, encouraging the younger generation in scientific farming through supervised projects, disseminating the latest technical know-how, creating awareness in the areas of home making and nutrition education for rural community and implementing all ICAR schemes which intend to strengthen the training programmes of the Kendra.

KVK also involves in on-farm research where farmers participate in identifying problems and its priorities, managing experiment and evaluating results. More than a dozen on-farming research programmes were completed and the technology was implemented successfully in the farming community. Frontline demonstration is the new concept of field demonstration evolved by ICAR. Main objective of frontline demonstrations is to exhibit newly released crop production and protection technologies and its management practices in the farmers’ fields under different agro-climatic regions and farming situations. More than 15 technologies developed and successfully disseminated to the farming community for adoption including tea. Training programmes organised by KVK is meant for the farmers, particularly women and rural youth through “learning by doing” which in turn generate self employment’, to update the advances in agriculture research and conducting periodical seminars/workshop for the benefit of farming community.

The training sessions include analysis of individual needs, short lectures, group discussions, problem-solving exercises and an extensive review of the technology / innovation available on each subject. Field / lab visits are organised to expose the trainees to the myriad problems that they are likely to face every day. Such exposure enables trainees to develop the skills and attitudes required for action. The highlights of the programmes are tea cultivation, agricultural engineering, horticulture, home science and soil science. The Kendra also organizes various other programmes. Enterprises such as beekeeping, animal husbandry etc., can be successfully incorporated into plantation based integrated farming system. This helps the community to generate additional income, besides conserving the biodiversity of plantations.

The home science unit organises various training programmes and income generating activitieswhich include nutrition and balanced diet, fruit and vegetable processing and preservation, home baking, mushroom cultivation, kitchen gardening, tailoring, wool knitting, renewable energy sources, women’s clubs, women farm science club and self help groups. Mini manufacturing unit involved in imparting training on quality tea making for factory personnel of small sector, conducting vocational training on tea manufacture to the unemployed youth and to carry out adaptive research on CTC tea manufacture.

The Nilgiris is a horticulture district which has got high potential for the cultivation of cut flowers, vegetables, fruits, spices and medicinal plants. Since there is a perspective in landscaping of gardens, floriculture unit, ornamental /medicinal plants germplasm unit are maintained by the Kendra. The cut flowers grown in this unit include gerbera, carnation, lillium, gladiolus, etc., besides medicinal and aromatic plants include commercial herbs and rare medicinal plants.

Quality upgradation programme

The Nilgiri district has over 65,000 small growers cultivating tea in 49,000 ha which contributes 90 m.kg of tea processed in 125 bought leaf factories. As the quality of the tea produced by the bought leaf sector was not on par with the corporate sector, they could not fetch high prices in the market. Hence they could not give an attractive price to the leaf suppliers, i.e. the small growers. Tea Board has been supporting the planters of corporate, estate and small growers sector since its inception and financially by providing schemes/subsidies for the development of the tea industry. In order to extend services, Tea Board identified UPASI KVK as a nodal agency for the small growers in the Nilgiris and launched quality upgradation programme (QUP) during 2000 for improving the quality of tea produced in the Nilgiris as support measure during crisis situation. Since then the KVK has been working on various aspects on quality improvement and in order to achieve success in QUP, KVK jointly working with Department of Horticulture, Industrial Co-operative Services, Banks, Non Governmental Organisations etc. Objectives of QUP are conducting quality awareness campaign in different villages, quality upgradation experiment cum demonstrations in different tea factories, publicity and advertisement through documentary film on harvesting for quality improvement and quality awareness seminars/ conferences/farmers meet for bought leaf and Indco tea factories. Small growers and manufacturers are very receptive in the initiatives launched by Tea Board in relation to QUP to face the global challenges. Besides the specific long term programme on QUP, UPASI KVK in collaboration with Tea Board assisted in special pruning programme in small tea growers and replanting programme, etc. As an authentic evidence for small farmers involvement in QUP, the sector received Tea Golden Leaf India Awards (TGLIA) and prestigious Manimegalai Award for Best Women Self Help Group in the Nilgiris besides the Best KVK Award for the biennium, 1996-97, as mentioned elsewhere.