The Department of Food Science and Technology at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni in Solan district, conducted seven off-campus training programmes on food processing at different panchayats in four districts of the state. A total of 210 participants, mostly women, attended the programmes — 30 from each panchayat. The training titled “Utilisation of Natural Produce for Sustainable Livelihood through Technological Interventions” was organised under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
The programmes were conducted in Thana Kalan and Bahal panchayats of Una district, Rohin in Hamirpur district, Chanju-Chopal and Poliya in Shimla district and Kothi-Kashmir and Kalpa in Kinnaur district. The main objective of the initiative was to promote sustainable livelihood opportunities through technological interventions in food processing and value addition of locally-available agricultural produce. The training also focused on enhancing food processing skills, promoting small-scale entrepreneurship, developing practical knowledge on value addition and enabling self-help groups (SHGs) to initiate income-generating activities.
During the training sessions, the participants were sensitised about the importance of millet and locally-available produce, along with their nutritional benefits and potential for value-added products. Anil Kumar Verma, Principal Investigator of the project, said that scientific food processing techniques could improve the shelf life, quality and market value of products, thereby generating better income and employment opportunities. Hands-on demonstrations were conducted on the preparation of value-added products such as muffins, jams, squash, pasta and natural bio-enzymes. The participants gained practical exposure to food processing techniques and methods of value addition.