PAU'S PROCESSING AND FOOD ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT ORGANIZES TRAINING CAMPS FOR SCHEDULED CASTES UNDER AICRP ON POST-HARVEST TECHNOLOGY

Ludhiana, December 3, 2024: The Department of Processing and Food Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, organized two training programmes on "Entrepreneurship Development in Agro Processing for Better Livelihood" under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-All India Coordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (AICRP on PHET). Held on November 13 and November 29, 2024, at the PAU campus, the trainings benefited 50 participants from Scheduled Castes (SC) under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) initiative.

Dr. M.S. Alam, Principal Scientist and Scheme In-charge of AICRP on PHET at PAU, welcomed the participants and highlighted the significance of agro-processing complexes in reducing post-harvest losses, generating employment for rural youth, and diversifying agriculture. He emphasized honey processing as a viable domestic-scale venture and encouraged participants to utilize the department's facilities to explore livelihood opportunities.

The training sessions included hands-on demonstrations and lectures by Dr Surekha Bhatia (Principal Biochemist), who discussed jaggery production and quality maintenance for better economic returns; Dr Sandhya (Senior Scientist) demonstrated small-scale post-harvest processing machinery developed by the department; Dr Manpreet Kaur Saini (Entomologist) provided insights on effective grain storage techniques to prevent losses caused by insect pests; Dr Rohit Sharma (Scientist) showcased machinery setups for wheat, rice, and spice processing; and Dr Gagandeep Kaur (Food Microbiologist) explained mushroom cultivation, particularly oyster mushrooms, as a subsidiary occupation for small and marginal farmers.

Participants were shown machinery such as moisture meters, oil expellers, and honey processing units. As part of the programme, they also received free milled rice packets, processing kits, PAU literature, and an annual membership to Changi Kheti. Sh. Sunil Dutt and Sh. Ravi Kumar facilitated registration and logistics.