2-day Kisan Mela concludes at Punjab Agricultural University on a happy note; Rural women seen on campus

Ludhiana, September 23, 2016: A two-day Kisan Mela concluded at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on a happy note. Heavy rush of farmers and rural women was seen on the campus, which was abuzz with different activities such as field demonstrations for dissemination of farm technologies, question-answer session for addressing the queries of the visiting farmers, sale of University farm literature, and purchase of improved seeds and other planting material. Participating farmers and rural women also evinced keen interest in crop produce and home science competitions. The prize winners were given away certificates and prizes at the valedictory function today.

In his concluding remarks, the Chief Guest, Dr S.S. Siwach, Director of Research, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar called upon the farmers to learn about new farm innovations from these melas. The Punjab state has always been the frontrunner in the development of new agricultural technologies, he observed. “As Punjab and Haryana states share common traditions, we have teamed-up with the PAU for the development of agriculture,” he said. Later, he distributed the prizes to the winners of various competitions.

In his presidential remarks, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU lauded the farmers for reducing the use of fertilizers and water. He disclosed, “The usage of fertilizer Diammonium phosphate (DAP) has decreased upto Rs 600 crore and the depleted water table has risen from 95 to 55 cm in 2014-15.” The Punjab has also witnessed reduced use of pesticides for the control of yellow rust in wheat and whitefly in cotton. “This has been possible with your cooperation,” he said to the farmers. “Make optimum use of weedicides also,” he emphasized. Referring to early maturing rice varieties, Dr Dhillon said that more than 30 per cent area of the state was under PAU developed variety PR 121. He stressed upon the farmers to avoid burning paddy straw and instead use it for biogas generation and mushroom cultivation. Dr Dhillon also advocated the adoption of subsidiary occupations like beekeeping, mushroom growing, dairy and poultry farming for financial sustainability. Besides, he urged the farmers to cultivate canola and vegetables for diversification.

Dr R.K. Gumber, Director of Research, informed about the salient features of newly developed crop varieties namely PBW 725 of wheat, Punjab Celery 1 of celery and PC 6 of Africansarson. He also threw light on PAU recommended food processing technologies, and production-protection technologies for various crops.

Earlier, Dr R.S. Sidhu, Director of Extension Education, welcomed the dignitaries, farmers, rural women and the prize winners. He stated, “After much toil and sweat, PAU makes recommendations to the farmers.” “Reap benefits from the training programmes conducted at 18 Krishi Vigyan Kendras of Punjab,” he told the farmers. Dr Sidhu also advised them to read PAU farm publications for updating knowledge and using scientific techniques.

Dr P.S. Aulakh, Additional Director of Extension Education, proposed the vote of thanks.On the occasion, the chief guest released a set of PAU publications and samples of new crop varieties.

PAU GIVES AWAY PRIZES TO WINNERS OF VARIOUS COMPETITIONS
The prize winners of various competitions were given away certificates and prizes on the concluding day of Kisan Mela at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today.

In the category of vegetables, Malkit Singh (Bathinda), Sikander Singh (Fatehgarh Sahib), Sukhdev Singh (Kapurthala), Satvir Singh (Bathinda) and Hardev Singh (Gurdaspur) won first prize in okra, karela, chillies, ram tori and brinjal, respectively. Besides, Satwinder Singh (Patiala), Sukhwinder Singh (Sangrur) and Manjit Singh (Sangrur) got first prize in radish, cucumber and arbi, respectively. In addition, Tirath Singh (Sangrur) bagged first prize in onion andghiya kaddu. Apart from these, Parwinder Singh (Fazilka), Ravi Pingra (Fazilka), Sukhdev Singh (Bathinda) and Kulwinder Singh (Sangrur) won first prize in malta, sweet lime, lemon andamla, respectively. In the category of flowers, Avtar Singh (Sangrur) and Nachhatar Singh (Bathinda) got first prize in gerbera and cut/loose rose, respectively. In field crops, Darshan Singh (Ropar), Sandeep Singh (Sangrur) and Mukhtiar Singh (Hoshiarpur) bagged first prize in maize, sugarcane and groundnut, respectively.

In field demonstrations, Departments of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Vegetable Science and Agronomy, PAU were awarded first, second and third prize, respectively. Among PAU stalls, Departments of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Soil Science stood first, second and third, respectively. The Punjab Naujwan Kisan Sanstha of Sangrur, Gurdaspur and Bathinda bagged first, second and third prize, respectively.

In home science competitions, Charanjit Kaur (Moga) won first prize in the preparation of nutritious products using various oilseeds and in tape finishing. Besides, Roohiat Kaur (Jalandhar) and Rupinder Kaur (Ludhiana) got first prize in drawing competition and envelope decoration, respectively.

In the category of farm machinery and implements, first prizes were won by New Holland Pvt. Ltd. (Faridabad) for tractors; Agriculture Industries Pvt. Ltd. (Sangrur) for combines; BCS India Pvt. Ltd. (Ludhiana) for reapers, threshers and self propelled equipments; Tirath Agro Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Gujarat) for tractor driven implements; Honda SIEL Power Products Ltd. (New Delhi) for electric motors, engines and pumping sets; Falcon Garden Tools Pvt. Ltd. (Ludhiana) for tools and sprayers; Jain irrigation Systems Ltd. (Jalgaon) for water saving tools and machines; IFFCO (Ludhiana) for fertilizers; Bayer Crop Science (Ludhiana) for pesticides and Kitchen Collection (Ludhiana) for agro-processing machinery.

PAU STUDENTS ENACT A PLAY ON NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION
The students from constituent colleges of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) enacted a play on “Judicious Use of Natural Resources” in the open area of the University during the Kisan Mela. More than 10 students participated in the play, which aimed at promoting optimum use of pesticides for the management of various diseases and insect-pests in crops. Nearly 1000 farmers gathered to see the play and sought queries on the attires of the students. The students namely Narjit Singh, Vivek Sharma, Maninder Singh Sandhu, Harjit Singh, Harjinder Singh Passi, Jyoti Sharma and Raveer Mohali addressed all the queries of the farmers. Later, the students also brought out a rally to spread awareness regarding natural resource conservation.