CSIR – NIIST Thiruvananthapuram is willing to handhold Vidarbha Agro & Food Processing entrepreneurs and farmers at large for commercialisation of proven Technologies in Vidarbha, said Dr V V Venugopalan, Chief Scientist & Head of Agro Processing and Technology Division, while addressing an interactive workshop on “CSIR – NIIST Available Food Processing Technologies for commercialisation in Vidarbha” as the Chief Guest on 1st March 2025 at VIA Auditorium, Nagpur to a large audience of Agro Food Processing Industry Professionals, Budding Food Technology research scholars and Faculty. The workshop was organized by Agro Rural Development & Food Processing Forum of Vidarbha Industries Association.
During the presentation, he explained Techno commercial feasibility, Capital Cost and scale of Economics on available technologies for commercialization in Vidarbha including already established manufacturing facilities for Biodegradable Cutlery Plates, Agro Based Leather Substitutes / Technical Textiles, Industrial Bio-Enzymes for Biorefineries, Biomass conversions, 2- G Ethanol etc at Nagpur.
He further added that amongst available technologies, formulations for functional foods, nutraceuticals & Ayurvedic products, Plant based Meat Analogues utilising various plant protein sources, Dehydration of Spices, Fruits & Vegetables including leafy vegetables like Palak, Methi, Coriander, Green Chilli, Mushrooms, Solar Dehumidification, Fortified Rice Kernels, Value Added Granular breakfast Products from Raw Banana and Corn, Dietary Fiber, Vegan alternative to Cheese / Yogurt, Pre-Biotics, Post Biotics, Fermented food, Carbonated Natural Healthy Drinks, Ready to cook & Eat products, Bakery Products, Fruit Roll up, Biodegradable Substitutes for Thermocol, etc. and appealed the Industry fraternity to extensibly utilize existing NIIST Facilities like Pilot Plants, Quality Control Laboratories, Incubation centers and various training programs on Agro food entrepreneurship.
Another major attraction of the workshop was Kashmiri Saffron Farming at the hot climate of Nagpur by Akshay & Divya Holey, Founders of Shaya Enterprises, a pioneering organization for saffron cultivation, utilizing soil less aeroponics vertical technology to produce pure Kashmiri saffron. They also educate aspiring entrepreneurs to set up and manage their own saffron farms.
Prominently present in the program were Dr Smita Muley, Sarang Waghmare, Subhas Wanjari, Kiran Gokhale, Jyotindra Patel, Dr Pushpanjali Dhok, Salil Deshpande, Aniruddha Ansingkar, Hemant Padalkar, Pragati Gokhale, Kasturi Bawane, Dharmraj Madankar, Yashoda Pise, Dr PL Kirkire, Vinod Dorsatwar, K C Pradhan, Dr Sachin Chintale.
VIA Agro Forum convener Shachi Mallick and Project Director Kapil Charan Sahoo jointly the proceedings of the program, while Sanjay Sinha proposed a formal vote of thanks.
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