FM Sitharaman inaugurates Farmers Training Centre in Karnataka under MPLADS

The facility has been set up in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), official said

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday inaugurated a Farmers' Training and Common Facility Centre under the MPLAD scheme here.

The centre in Kasapura village aims to train self-help groups (SHGs) and farmers through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to enhance value addition to their agricultural produce, officials said.

The facility has been set up in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), they added.

Launched in 1993, the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme allows MPs to propose development projects in their constituencies for community assets such as roads, drinking water, and sanitation.

Fully funded by the government, these projects aim to address local needs through durable infrastructure implemented by district authorities.

"Together, these efforts will enable both groundnut and tamarind value chains to thrive, while also strengthening Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) with marketing support. At present, the unit is designed to process about 200 MT of tamarind annually," the finance minister's office said in a post on 'X'.

The project seeks to modernise processing by introducing technology to produce tamarind pulp and deseeded tamarind in a hygienic environment, thereby improving quality and market value, it added.

Groundnut cultivation in Vijayanagara spans nearly 55,000 hectares, giving this initiative the potential to benefit a large number of farmers.

"With an annual processing capacity of 400 MT of groundnuts, the center directly benefits 575 farmers and indirectly supports over 1,500 farmers. Another distinctive feature of Kudligi Taluk is the abundance of tamarind trees along farms and roadsides," the post said.

Traditionally, women process harvested tamarind using rudimentary methods, sitting under trees and employing stones or other crude tools," it further stated.

In the long term, the project aims to train farmers in modern food processing techniques and promote unique local products from rural India to national and international markets, creating sustainable livelihoods and fostering inclusive rural development.

"This project aims to train Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and farmers through FPOs to enhance value addition to their agricultural produce. Vijayanagara district's Kudligi Taluk lies in one of the driest regions of southern India, receiving very low rainfall," the finance minister's office noted.