Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Ranga Reddy District of ICAR–Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR-CRIDA), Hyderabad, organized a five-day Skill Development Programme on “Sustainable Management Practices in Horticultural Crops for High Net Returns” from 21–25 September 2026 under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) of the ICAR-CRIDA NICRA Project.

The programme aimed to enhance the technical knowledge, practical skills, and entrepreneurial capabilities of SC farmers and rural youth to adopt sustainable and profitable horticultural production practices and improve farm income.

The programme was inaugurated on 21 September 2026. Dr. Chandrakant M.H., Senior Scientist and Head, KVK Ranga Reddy, welcomed the participants and highlighted KVK's mandated activities and the training programmes planned for SC farmers during the current year.

Dr. A.G.K. Reddy, Senior Scientist (Horticulture), emphasized the importance of horticultural crops in enhancing farm profitability and explained the role of sustainable production and management practices in achieving higher and more stable returns.

Dr. G. Sri Krishna, SMS (Horticulture) and Coordinator of the training programme, provided technical guidance on good management practices in horticultural crops for achieving high net returns.

During the five-day programme, experts from research institutions, line departments and progressive farmers delivered technical sessions on various horticultural crops, production technologies, crop management practices and income-generating enterprises. The trainees also gained hands-on practical exposure through field visits, laboratory demonstrations and visits to successful farm enterprises, enabling them to relate the technical knowledge to real-world farming situations.

The SMSs, technical staff of KVK and Bhuvan Research Farm team and ICAR-CRIDAteam actively supported the successful conduct of the programme.