2-Day Agri Exhibition, Seminar at VIT, Vellore

Vellore: India ranks first globally in banana production, according to Dr. R. Selvarajan, director of the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) in Tiruchy, under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

As the chief guest at the inauguration of the 8th Uzhavar Sangamam 2026, a two-day agricultural exhibition and seminar organised by the School of Agricultural Sciences at VIT University in Vellore, he said India leads the world in banana production, with current exports of about 800,000 tonnes, generating roughly Rs. 4,000 crore in revenue. The average yield is 40 tonnes per hectare, he listed out.

VIT Chancellor, Dr. G. Viswanathan, described India as fundamentally an agricultural nation, and urged that it must make agriculture profitable to retain talent, as many agriculture graduates seek higher-paying jobs elsewhere. Governments need to boost productivity, he said.

K.B. Srinivasan, vice president of Coromandel International Ltd, and N. Suresh, state marketing manager of IFFCO Tamil Nadu, participated.

The Chancellor inaugurated the exhibition of 145 stalls.

A fruit bagging / sleeving device, developed under the supervision of professors Paul Mansingh and Gunji Balamurali, was introduced.

VIT executive director Sandhya Pentareddy, vice chancellor, Dr. Kanchana Baskaran, dean of the School of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Rajendran, participated.