To fullfill our mission of becoming the ultimate authority and provider of excellent quality technology, products and services in the pineapple and other tropical fruits sector through concerted research and development efforts sustained by best human resource and infrastructure development, the station visualises future development in the following lines.
Earnest efforts are also being taken to acquire free government land nearby as a permanent farm for raising various fruit plants, conserving germplasm and conducting field research, besides establishing adequate infrastructure for further development and diversification. It is also proposed to establish a fruit processing laboratory with FPO registration at the centre for the efficient conversion of leftover fruits to value added products like squash, jam, syrup, etc.
Besides pineapple, since Vazhakulam and neighbouring areas are well-known for other fruit crops like banana, mango, jack, papaya, passion fruit, rambutan, mangosteen, etc, and there is no research station in the district catering to the needs of these farmers, Pineapple Research Station, Vazhakulam visualizes to be Tropical Fruit Crops Research Station (TFCRS) in the near future. This advanced research centre of excellence dreams to be the ultimate authority and provider of excellent quality technology, products and services in tropical fruit crops through concerted research and development efforts sustained by best human resource and infrastructure development in line with Our Motto ‘Quality People & Infrastructure for Quality Technology, Products & Services and Merit alone counts for Quality suitable for the purpose’.
The Tropical Fruit Crops Research Station (TFCRS) comprises the following.
Technology division
- Crop Improvement (Agricultural Botany, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology)
- Crop Production (Agronomy, Horticulture, Agricultural Chemistry and Agricultural Economics)
- Crop Protection (Agricultural Entomology, Plant Pathology, Microbiology and Nematology)
Products division
- Crop Processing and Product Development (Food Processing and Home Science)
- Quality Assurance (Quality Control)
Services division
- Transfer of Technology, Other Services (Agricultural Extension, ICT)
