KISAN MELA OF PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY CONCLUDES

LUDHIANA, MARCH 22:-----



On the second day of the Golden Jubilee Kisan Mela organized by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the Vice Chancellor of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU), Dr. V.K.Teneja was the chief guest. While honouring the winners of various produce competitions, Dr. Taneja said that the common mission of both PAU and GADVASU is to work for the welfare of farming community of Punjab on sustainable basis. Dr. Taneja remarked that both the Universities organized the Kisan Mela jointly and that this was exemplary in the country. This will definitely benefit the farming community, he said.



In view of the shrinking land holdings, the subsidiary occupations such as dairy farming, fishery, poultry, goat farming, bee-keeping, mushroom growing, etc. have got added meaning in the context of enhancing farming income. The food security of the country can sustain if our people are healthy. The dairy based agriculture can play a significant role in the nutritional security, he said adding that livestock productivity in Punjab is maximum in the country. He appreciated the PAU Vice Chancellor, Dr. Baldev Singh Dhillon for taking several steps towards the holistic development of research and technologies transfer programme for Punjab. Dr. Taneja said that public-private partnership with focus on villages and better delivery of information to farmers.



In his presidential remarks, Dr. Dhillon said that the current focus of PAU is on making agriculture cost-effective and profitable with a focus on prudent use of natural resources in farming. With a reference of the Agriculture Minister, S. Tota Singh\'s message of putting farmers in the track of cooperative culture, Dr. Dhillon said that for a profitable agriculture, \'cooperative culture\' is a must. He suggested farmers to go in for cultivation of pulse crops such as summer moong after wheat, which offers multiple benefits of soil enrichment and profitable returns. Farmers must work in a business mode, said Dr. Dhillon, emphasizing that proper account keeping was important in farming. He advised farmers to connect with experts through reading farm literature brought out by PAU.



Dr. Dhillon said that efforts are being made to make the farm magazine \'Changi Kheti\', \'Progressive Farming\' and \'Package of Practices of Crops\' available to Panchayats, Cooperative Societies, Milk Producer Association, Sports Clubs and Educational Institutions for which cooperation of State Department of Agriculture is being sought. He explicitly said that it is our common duty to address the prevailing social vices.



The PAU Director of Research, Dr. S.S.Gosal said that through adopting new farm technologies agriculture can be made more scientific and profitable. He said that two experimental varieties of paddy with better quality, disease tolerance and yield are in the pipeline of release to farmers. He said that Kisan Melas provide opportunities to get direct feedback from farmers that help in orienting the need-based programme.



The Director of Extension Education, Dr. M.S.Gill thanked farmers for their keen participation in the Kisan Mela. He suggested farmers to use new machinery such as paddy transplanter and be aware about the preparation of mat type nursery for which the Krishi Vigyan Kendra of PAU are imparting trainings. He thanked the artists of North Zone Culture Centre, Patiala and others for entertaining the huge gathering of farmers during the mela. The prominent artists included: Kamal Kartar Dhugga, Manna Dhillon, Ravinder Diwana and Happy Jassowal, who enthralled the audience with folk songs with a focus on agriculture, culture and on doing away with social evils.



A crop produce competition for vegetables, fruits, flowers and field crops was held yesterday on the eve of the Kisan Mela.



In the category of vegetables, first prizes were clinched by Gurpreet Singh, Gota Badsha (Ferozepur) for chapan kaddu, Dalbir Singh (Gaggarpur, Sangrur) for radish and shimla mirch, Davinder Singh (Mehraj, Bathinda) for green onion, Gurbir Singh (Barshi Rajpootan, Amritsar) for cauliflower, Gurpreet Singh (Boolpur, Kapurthala) for peas and turnip, Jagbir Singh (Nagra, Sangrur) for cabbage and Karnail Singh (Aliana, Fazilka) for green chilli. Besides, first prizes were also bagged by Jagjit Singh (Agoul, Patiala) for carrot, Kulwinder Singh (Nagra, Sangrur) for tomato, Manjeet S. Ghuman (Nagra, Sangrur) for french bean, Nanak Singh (Mianpur, Ropar) for garlic, Ranjit Singh (Paddi, Ropar) for potato, Sarwan Singh Thind (Basti Bishan Singh, Ferozepur) for turmeric, Sukhdev Singh (Salabatpur, Bathinda) for petha, Sukhwinder Singh (Diyalpur Bhagta, Bathinda) for brinjal and Vikramjit Singh (Nagra, Sangrur) for cucumber. Balraj Singh (Khanal Khurd, Sangrur) won the first prize for mushrooms.





Among fruits, first prizes were won by Ajmer Singh (Langrian, Sangrur) for banana, Lakhwinder Singh (Toot, Ferozepur) for ber, Manjeet Kaur (Bridwan, Patiala) for guava, Kanwarbir Singh (Muktamwala, Kapurthala) for lemon, Siddharth Kumar (Khepanwali, Fazilka) for kinnow and Tarlochan Singh (Mianpur, Ropar) for papaya.



In the category of flowers, Gurpreet Shergill (Mejhal Khurd, Patiala) for marigold, loose rose and cut rose, Gurpreet Singh (Kapurthala). Apart from this, Kulwaran Singh (Bheekhanagar, Jalandhar) for gerbera, Niametshergill (Mejhal Khurd, Patiala) for gladiolus, while Rajinder Pal Singh (Kabalawala, Bathinda) fetched first prize in rose water.



The first prizes were won by Harshpreet Singh (Bardhwal, Patiala) for shakker, Nanak Singh (Mianpur, Ropar) for gur and Rajdeep Singh (Burj, Bathinda) for sugarcane.



On this occasion, special prizes were also awarded to the Amrik Singh, Phillowal (Hoshiarpur) for turmeric, to Anmol of Patiala for marigold, to Jinder Singh, Sandharan (Ropar) for black carrot and moongbean, to Manjit Singh Ghuman of Nagra (Sangrur) for shimla mirch, to Satnam Singh, Aulakh (Faridkot) for marigold, to Sukhdev Singh, Salabatpur (Bathinda) for chakotra and to Surinderpal Singh (Patiala) for strawberry. Darshan Singh, Muktramwala (Kapurthala) and Eanyet Shergil of Mejhal Khurd (Patiala) were given consolation prizes for lemon and flower growing, respectively.



During on the spot competitions of "drawing," "making of utility articles out of waste material," "mud decoration" and "preparation of sprouted dal products, organized by the College of Home Science," first prizes were clinched by Amandeep Singh (Kaunke Kalan), Charanjit Kaur (Mehna, Moga), Parkash Kaur (Kot Kapura) and Gurminder Kaur (Dad, Ludhiana). Harbans Kaur got first prize in the category of Women Entrepreneurs.



In the category of farm machinery and implements, Preet Tractors, Ltd. (Nabha) for "tractors", Standard Corporation Indian Ltd. (Handiaya) for "combines and threshers," Dashmesh Mechanized Works (Amargarh) for "tractor driven implements," Speedways Rubber Company (Jalandhar) for "tyres and batteries\" , Kalsi Metal Works (Jalandhar) for "electric motors, engines and pumping sets," Falcon Industries (Ludhiana) for "tools and sprayers," Jain Irrigation and Farm Solution (Ludhiana) for "water saving tools and machines," IFFCO (Ludhiana) in "fertilisers," BAYER Crop Science Ltd. (Chandigarh) for "pesticides," Shakti Make Marshal (Chandigarh) for "home appliances," and MARKFED (Jalandhar) for "agro-processed products and machinery." Mehram Publications (Nabha) ranked first in "literature and service sector."



The PAU Departments of Plant Pathology, Farm Machinery and Power Engineering and Entomology bagged first prizes for the field demonstrations while Farm Advisory Service Scheme (FASS), Bathinda and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Goniana got first prize for the sale of PAU farm literature. The districts Sangrur, Ferozepur and Patiala stood first in the category of "Nanjawan Kisan Sanstha." The KVKs, PAU Department of Plant Pathology and School of Agricultural Biotechnology clinched first prizes for "Agro-industrial Exhibition."
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