Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh to Inaugurate National Banana Festival on Feb 17

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
The five- day National Banana Festival, to be held from February 17- 21 at the Vellayani Temple Grounds in Kalliyoor Panchayat, will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh at 11 am on February 17th.
Suresh Gopi MP, Chairman, Organising Committee, will preside over the inauguration. MLAs O Rajagopal, M Vincent, I B Sathish, and Thiruvananthapuram District Panchayat V.K.Madhu, will be the Guests of Honor at the function.
The technical sessions being organized as part of the NBF 2018 will be kicked off on February 17 at 10 am by Dr A Anil Kumar, Dean, Kerala Agriculture University at function to be presided over by Dr G G Ganagadharan, President, CISSA. The keynote address for the event will be delivered by Dr. Ram Boojh, National Programme Officer, Ecological Sciences, UNESCO, New Delhi. The Technical Sessions of the National seminar will be held from 12 pm on February 17 will continue on 18th and 19th of February.
On the same day, February 17, an Exhibition on banana and banana related products will be inaugurated by Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Devaswom and Co-operation. A Painting Competition for students and Cookery Competition will be held on the 2nd day of the NBF 2018.
The painting competition for students will be held from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm and the Cookery Competition will be held from 2 pm. A Cultural meet that will be held as a part of National Banana Festival will be inaugurated by the Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Kumar Singh on February 18 at 5 pm.
The special guests for the event, which will be presided over by Dr. George Onakkoor, will be Daljit Singh Chib, Minister of State & Vice Chairman, J& K State Advisory Board for Development of Kisans; and Kummanam Rajasekharan. PadmaSri Hareendran Nair, Prof K. Omanakkutty, Thulasidas, Film Director; Rajasenan, Film Director; and G. Sekharan Nair, Special Correspondent, Mathrubhumi; will be the Guests of Honor at the Cultural meet.
V. S. Sunil Kumar, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Kerala, will be the chief guest at the Valedictory Function of the National Seminar will be held on the third day of NBF 2018, February 19, at 4 pm. The presidential address for the valedictory function will be delivered by Dr. P. Rajendran, Former Vice Chancellor, Kerala Agricultural University.
A Poets’ Meet which will be held on the same day at 5pm will be inaugurated by P.Narayana Kurup. Poovachal Khadar will deliver the key note address. Film actor Anusree will be the special guest.
Ramachandran Kadannappally,Minister for Ports, Museums, Archeology and Archives, Kerala will inaugurate a NABARD-supported Farmers’ Meet, which will be held on the 4th day of NBF 2018, February 20.
The meet will be presided over by R. Sundar, CGM, NABARD. The valedictory function will be addressed by V S Sunil Kumar, Minister for Agriculture of Kerala on February 21 at 4 pm. MPs Richard Hay, and Suresh Gopi will also be present.
The Kalliyoor Grama Panchayat, Mitra Nikethan Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) acknowledged by United Nations University; ICAR- National Centre for Banana, Tiruchirapalli; UNESCO New Delhi, Central and State Government institutions involved in Banana Research and Promotion, as well as NGOs working in this sector, are collaborating with CISSA in organising the mega festival at the sprawling Vellayanai Temple Ground in Kalliyoor Grama
Panchayat.