Farmers to get seeds to increase production of Bhiwapuri chillies

Nagpur: Since Bhiwapuri chillies have received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Nagpur Zilla Parishad chief executive officer Saumya Sharma has drawn up plans for planned increase of production by distributing seeds to select farmers.
A joint review meeting of chilli farmers and officers was held by Sharma recently to discuss the increase in cultivation area, production and productivity of traditional chilli crop in Bhiwapur, Kuhi and Umred talukas.
She said that since Bhiwapuri chillies have received the GI tag, micro-planning is necessary for increase in production and variety in the field. She also directed the department of agriculture to prepare technical brochures and videos to facilitate the same. She added that by preparing a budget for micro-irrigation, mulching, and fertilizer, the daughter chains should be developed in clusters, from production to sale, by using components of various government schemes.
Sharma further directed the District Rural Development System, and Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission (MSRLM) to process the chillies, develop packaging and branding for chilli powder etc through women’s self-help groups. The agriculture department has been directed that during the kharif season village meetings and training should be organized for mass promotion and dissemination at the regional level.
The meeting was attended by officials of the agriculture department, such as Ravindra Manohare, Jayant Koutkar, and scientists of the agriculture university like Vinod Khadse, and RI Khobragade, along with chilli farmers and representatives of private companies.
(Reporting by Vasudha Ranade & Astha Tiwari)