Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) of the State Department ofAgriculture, conducts training programs for farmers across the state. VIA is the keystakeholder in this activity and many on-campus training programmes have been organizedover the years. Since 2017, the institution has conducted 65 training programmes benefittingmore than 3000 farmers in a variety of subjects viz., honey bee production, mushroomproduction, neera production and value addition in coconut.

VIA in collaboration with MANAGE, Hyderabad, is offering Agri Clinic &Agri Business Centre programme for the benefit of agriculture and other science graduates and agri diploma holders. The main objective of this scheme is to promote agri entrepreneurship. This value addition of VIA’s service has a good impact on the farmers as to have induced increased interest in the farmers of the region. On successful completion of this course, candidates are eligible for loans up to Rs.20 lakhs with a subsidy of 37% and 44% respectively for men and women entrepreneurs. Recently an alumni of VIA joined this programme and was benefitted by the knowledge gained and has planned to start a dairy unit with the guidance from the institution. The entire course of 45 days is residential and it has been designed, curated and handled by our committed faculty with the fund sanctioned from MANAGE, to conduct the programme. The institution plans to encourage the final year students who wish to start a business to take up the course on completion of their academic programme to avail the opportunity.

It is an outcome-based course with a duration of six months formulated by the institution’s faculty members in collaboration with NIA Skill Foundation, TVS Motor Company and Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) of NIA Educational Institutions. This course enables people from non-agricultural background and farmers in need of scientific knowledge to learn and implement their skills with best farm management practices and innovative methodology. Two batches have successfully completed their course and benefitted enormously.