THANJAVUR: Jyothi Mary and Navis are members of Malar self help group from Munnayampatti village near Thanjavur. They were there at Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) to have a glimpse of food processing technology available at the institute, food products developed by it on its third year open day for public on Sunday.
“We have come here to gain knowledge about food products which we can produce or use the technology available to help farmers as a means of income to our group. We were impressed by onion pealing machine developed by the institute, rice and wheat flake making machines, machines to produce fruit juices, We will use this knowledge for putting up a unit,” they told DC.
Radhika and Selvi were from PudukKottai. They run a Farmers Produces company with hundred farmers. They said that food processing technology is f immense help to them to produce food products and sell them.
Students from Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Agriculture College, Peramblaur were also there looking at technologies available. People queued up to see tomato pulp producing mobile unit stationed as part of the open house at the institute. Besides onlookers many food companies and companies of self help groups put up stalls for selling natural food and food products. J. Kavitha and Varadarajan from Farmers Producers Organisation from Vaduvur near Mannargudi said that they are doing co-operative farming. “Tamil Nadu government has given three power tillers on subsidy. We are renting it out and share the income. Besides this we are involved in producing natural products like ‘Thiridadugam juice’ etc.” Amirtha Pandiyan, said that his company Amirtha Foods has produced jaggery in an organic manner without using chemicals.
C. Anantharamakrishnan, director IIFPT said, the aim of the ‘open day’ was to familarise people with food processing technology, food products and education and research available at the institute. “This is the third year we are doing this open house. Response was overwhelming. Nearly 4,000 people have visited till noon on Sunda,” he said.
