From Harvest to Higher Income: ICAR-CIPHET trains 100 Farmers in 3 Days

Ludhiana, February 13, 2026: Under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (ICAR-CIPHET) organised two skill development programmes simultaneously from 11 to 13th February, with a total participation of 100 farmers. 
The first programme, “Processing and Value Addition of Food Grains and Horticultural Produce,” trained participants from Chunni Majra, Pandrali, Brahman Majra, Kharauri, Rajindergarh, Rajgarh Chhanna, and Baur villages of Fatehgarh Sahib district. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Manju Bala and Dr. Deepika Goswami, Principal Scientists, ICAR-CIPHET, along with Dr. Preeti Mamgai (ICAR-ATARI, Ludhiana) and Dr. Manisha Bhatia (KVK Fatehgarh Sahib). Key sessions covered baking and extrusion techniques, agro-processing centre operations, and fruit and vegetable processing. 
The second programme, “Capacity Building Programme on Post-Harvest Management Practices for Improved Farm Profitability,” trained participants from Bagga Khurd, Jainpur, and Malakpur villages of Ludhiana-West at ICAR-CIPHET. It was coordinated by Dr Maharishi Tomar, Dr Rahul S. Yadav, Senior Scientists, and Dr. Shrikrishna Shrinivas Nishani, Scientist, ICAR-CIPHET, with local coordination support from Nazar Singh. The training included processing and value addition of peanuts, post-harvest processing of pulses and spices, mushroom processing and packaging, and honey processing. 
These programmes provided direct practical benefits to farmers by improving post-harvest handling skills, reducing avoidable losses, improving product quality and shelf life, and creating opportunities for household-level value addition. Participants also gained hands-on exposure to income-oriented processing methods that can support better market prices, diversification of farm-based livelihoods, and improved overall farm profitability. 
At the valedictory function held on 13 February, Dr. Nachiket Kotwaliwale, Director, ICAR-CIPHET, addressed the participating farmers and encouraged them to adopt entrepreneurship in agro-processing and food processing. He emphasised that value addition and scientific post-harvest practices can significantly improve farm income, create local employment, and strengthen rural enterprises. He also assured the participants of ICAR-CIPHET’s full cooperation through continued technical guidance, training support, and handholding assistance for scaling up farmer-led processing initiatives.