Sri Vijaya Puram, November 12: ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (CIARI), Sri Vijaya Puram, has declared its distillation facility for the extraction of essential oil an incubation facility for island stakeholders. The facility has been created under the CSS-MIDH (NHM) Project on Spices of the institute.
The announcement was made at the valedictory session of an exposure visit-cum-training programme on “Systematic Cultivation and Value Addition Opportunities in Spice and Plantation Crops”, held recently as part of the Khet Bachao Abhiyan under the CSS-MIDH (NHM) Project on Spices and the AICRP on Plantation Crops Project.
Dr. Jai Sunder, Director (A), ICAR-CIARI, declared the facility an incubation facility in the presence of Dr. Raj Narayan, Head (Horticulture). He said interested people can bring quality raw material of spices and aromatic plants to the institute’s Bathubasti campus and get the oil distilled at a nominal charge of Rs. 100 per batch.
The prime purpose of the programme was to give an overview of the scientific management of spices and plantation crops. It began at the Horticulture Research Farm, Sippighat, where Dr. Ajit Arun Waman and Dr. Pooja Bohra, Senior Scientists and Course Directors, gave live demonstrations of scientific cinnamon harvesting using Dweep CinnRub, coconut dehusking using a mechanical dehusker, and a coconut climbing device. In the second session, the farmers visited the institute’s Field Distillation Unit, where distillation of essential oil, its packaging and its uses were demonstrated.
The programme was attended by 40 women and 21 men from nine villages of South Andaman Island. It was coordinated by Mr. T. Yaghambaram, Pradhan, Calicut, Mrs. Ramya, PRI Member, and others.
