BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 24th September 2025 : A District Level Seminar on Cashew was organized today at the ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, West Tripura, Belbari, with sponsorship from the Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development Board, Kochi, Kerala. The programme brought together not only experts and scientists but also a large number of agricultural extension officials, who played a pivotal role in the deliberations.
The event was graced by the presence of Mr. Arabinda Debbarma, Director, T-SAMETI Tripura; Mr. Sankar Biswas, Deputy Director of Agriculture (In-charge), West Tripura; Mr. Subrata Das, Deputy Director of Horticulture (In-charge), West Tripura; Dr. Biswajit Das, Head (In-charge), ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Tripura Centre, and Dr. Ganesh Das, Senior Scientist-cum-Head, ICAR-KVK, West Tripura. The seminar was coordinated by Dr. Maibam Baby Devi, SMS (Home Science), ICAR-KVK, West Tripura, as Organising Secretary.
A key highlight of the seminar was the active participation of agricultural extension officials from across the subdivisions of West Tripura district. Their involvement added a practical dimension to the discussions, as they shared field-level observations and constraints faced by farmers in adopting cashew cultivation. Officials noted the need for awareness building, farmer training, and improved extension strategies to take scientific knowledge to the grassroots.
In the technical sessions, Dr. Biswajit Das, Subrata Das, Sankar Biswas, and Arabindu Debbarma delivered lead presentations. These focused on the status of cashew cultivation in Tripura, opportunities for expansion, pest and disease management, and the importance of capacity building through extension networks. The presenters emphasized that extension personnel must serve as the bridge between research and farmers, ensuring timely dissemination of improved technologies and inputs.
The agricultural officers attending the seminar appreciated the platform for interaction with scientists and policymakers. They highlighted the importance of quality planting material, convergence of departmental schemes, and farmer-to-farmer extension to strengthen cashew as a profitable crop. Many of them stressed that cashew could serve as a supplementary income source for small and marginal farmers, provided continuous technical backstopping is ensured.
The dignitaries present also praised the efforts of extension officials, noting that the success of cashew cultivation in Tripura will largely depend on their commitment to mobilising and guiding farmers at the village level.
The programme concluded with the distribution of cashew planting materials to farmers, marking a symbolic step towards expanding cashew cultivation in the district. Farmers expressed their gratitude for the initiative and welcomed the continued support of agricultural extension officials in implementing the learnings from the seminar.
