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PAU virtual Kisan Mela Strive to make Punjab a seed hub of India: V-C PAU, Ludhiana.
Mar 25, 2022

A two-day virtual Kisan Mela, themed 'Soil, air and water conservation; practice this for future generations', kicked off at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Thursday.

As per the custom, chief minister of the state inaugurates the Kisan Mela but this time DK Tiwari, vice-chancellor, PAU, and additional chief secretary, Punjab, inaugurated the mela.

Tiwari said, 'About 60 percent of the population of Punjab is engaged in agriculture. Punjab is passing through critical times in view of shrinking land holdings due to family partition and dwindling farm income.'

He urged the farmers to go for crop diversification and allied agri-enterprises such as animal husbandry, fish farming, bee-keeping and value addition for sustaining their income as well as livelihood.

Tiwari lauded the young agriculturists, who were going for agri-startups by constituting farmers producers organizations (FPOs), leading to better fiscal returns.

Stressing on making Punjab as the seed hub of the country, he called upon PAU and the farmers to work collectively in this direction and supply quality seed outside the state.

Inderjeet Singh, vice-chancellor, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), said farmers have garnered economic benefits by diversifying the animal husbandry (dairy, poultry, piggery and fishery), adding that in comparison to the other states, the productivity of Murrah and Nili Ravi buffaloes was quite high in Punjab.

With the piggery sector scaling-up fast after poultry and fishery, farmers should harvest returns from the farming of imported pigs, he suggested. Further, Singh urged the farmers to not burn straw and use it as feed for the animals.

Lamenting the low turnout of youth in Barnala Pashu Palan Mela, Singh stressed upon making agriculture a lucrative profession by obtaining training in allied agri-occupations and venturing into honey and milk processing, etc.

Highlighting the research achievements, AS Dhatt, director of research, said PAU has developed new varieties of rice (PR 130 and PR 131), cotton (PAU Bt 2 and PAU Bt 3), maize (Punjab Baby Corn 1), mash (Mash 883), sorghum (SL 45) and bajra (PCB 166) for general cultivation in Punjab.

Sharing the plant protection and production techniques, he underlined the need for adopting kitchen garden models for household purposes and leaf colour chart (LCC) technology in maize for fertilizer reduction.

Ashok Kumar, director of extension education, PAU, while welcoming the dignitaries and the farmers, informed that PAU has started organising offline Kisan Melas after two years with the last mela at Bathinda on March 29 and mini melas in all the Krishi Vigyan Kendras of Punjab. He advised the farmers to opt for soil testing for prudent use of fertilizers; avoid transplanting of paddy prior to recommended date; manage paddy straw by using in-situ and ex-situ management technologies; adopt drip irrigation in fruits, vegetables, cotton, sunflower, etc. for water saving; take-up subsidiary occupations like pig, poultry, goat and dairy farming, and bee-keeping for profitability; and go for processing, value addition and marketing of pulses and milk for domestic consumption. Kumar also stressed upon the farmers to apply spray in the right amount and at the right time as per the PAU recommendations and do not fall prey to the private dealers that can lead to crop loss.

While conducting the programme, TS Riar, additional director communication, informed that farmers in lakhs were participating in Kisan Mela on the first day. Even 150 farmers visited PAU on Thursday to see offline field demonstrations, and purchase quality seed and PAU farm publications, he said.

GS Buttar, additional director of extension education, while proposing a vote of thanks, appealed to the farmers to save water and protect the environment for the coming generations.

During the mela, panel discussions saw farmer-scientist interface on direct-seeded rice (DSR) and natural resource conservation.

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