ONE-DAY TRAINING ON IRRIGATION AND PRIMARY PROCESSING OF MILLETS HELD AT PAU-KVK JALANDHAR

Ludhiana, December 3, 2024: Under the leadership of Dr. Gurinder Pal Singh Sodhi, Additional Director of Extension Education, PAU, Ludhiana, one-day training program on irrigation aspects and primary processing of millets under project “Development of technology for Production, farm-level processing, and packaging of millets and its value-added products” was organized by the Department of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), in collaboration with PAU-KVK Jalandhar. The event witnessed the enthusiastic participation of 70 farmers from the region.

The program was inaugurated by Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Kataria, Deputy Director (Trg) of PAU-KVK Jalandhar, who welcomed the team of experts and farmers. In his address, he emphasized the importance of adopting the value addition to enhance millet cultivation and processing.

Dr. R. S. Sohu, Principal Forage Breeder from the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, discussed the cultivation practices and improved varieties of millets suitable for Punjab’s agro-climatic conditions. Dr. Amina Raheja, Scientist from the Department of Soil and Water Engineering, elaborated on water-saving techniques in cropping systems, which are essential for addressing Punjab's depleting groundwater resources. Dr. Jugraj Singh, Senior Scientist from the Department of Soil and Water Engineering, spoke about efficient irrigation techniques for millet cultivation, emphasizing water conservation and optimal resource utilization. Dr. Gurveer Kaur, from the Department of Processing and Food Engineering, provided insights into the primary processing of millets, focusing on adding value to millet-based products to enhance marketability.

Dr. Gurinder Pal Singh Sodhi, Additional Director of Extension Education, PAU, Ludhiana highlighted the critical role of millets in crop diversification, especially in Punjab’s changing agricultural landscape in his concluding remarks. He encouraged farmers to incorporate millets into their daily diet for better health and also gave emphasis to adopt the technology developed by PAU for the betterment of farming community. He emphasized the significance of such training programs in empowering farmers with knowledge and skills to adopt diversified and sustainable agricultural practices.

In this program scientist of KVK namely Dr Kanchan Sandhu, Dr Balvir Kaur, Dr Rohit Gupta, Er Rupinder Chandel, Dr Prabhjit Kaur, Dr Harwinder Singh Buttar also participated and shared PAU recommended technologies in Rabi Crops. In the end the program was concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Kataria, who expressed gratitude to the experts and farmers for their active participation. This training program marked another step towards promoting millets as a nutritious and eco-friendly alternative in Punjab’s cropping systems.