PAU INKS MoU WITH FOOD CORPORATION OF INDIA

LUDHIANA, JUNE 18:-----



The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Food Corporation of India (FCI), Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, today to impart training to the quality control/field staff of FCI and to identify collaborative research projects in the field of quality control of foodgrains. Dr S.S. Gosal, Director of Research and Mr A.S. Arunachalam, Deputy General Manager, FCI, Punjab, signed the MoU on behalf of PAU and FCI, respectively. Those present in the MoU signing ceremony included the PAU Registrar, Dr R.K. Mahey, Technical Advisor to the PAU Vice- Chancellor, Dr P.K. Khanna, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, Dr. G. Singh, Dean, College of Agriculture, Dr. D.S.Cheema, Dean, College of Home Science, Dr. Neelam Grewal, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Dr. P.P.S.Lubana, Dean, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Dr. R.S.Sidhu, Additional Director of Communication, Dr. Jagtar Singh Dhiman, Additional Director of Extension Education, Dr. H.S.Dhaliwal and Additional Director of Research (Hort.), Dr. H.S.Dhaliwal and representatives of FCI including Mr Anuj Tyagi, Area Manager, FCI, Ludhiana and Dr Neel Kamal, Assistant Manager, FCI, Ludhiana.



Dr Mahey appreciated the pivotal role of FCI in the procurement and storage of food grains throughout the country for public distribution system and maintaining satisfactory level of operational and buffer stock of food grains to ensure national food security. He said that the signed MoU aims at providing training to the quality control staff of the FCI, based on the advancements across the world, on various procedures and techniques of handling and preservation of food grains, right from the stage of procurement to its final distribution. Besides, the basic objective of the MoU is to jointly identify research projects and the benefits and credits of collaborative work, he added, stating that the fruitful cooperation between the two will be of immense benefit to both in future.



Addressing the participants, Mr Arunachalam informed that the MoU will remain in force for three years, from the date of its execution. Lauding the PAU as a premiere university of national importance, he remarked that it is committed to forge ties with other institutes/universities across the nation and globe involved in developing quality manpower and research partnerships. The FCI has expertise in procurement and storage of food grains but lacks in research and development, he pointed out. Earlier, FCI collaborated with PAU and CIPHET (Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology) to reduce post-harvest-losses but the present MoU with PAU will be helpful in honing the skills of the trainees and in producing quality manpower, he added. There is a need for expertise in detection of wheat disease, Karnal Bunt and other pathogens, emphasized Mr Arunachalam. The FCI has the strength of nearly 5000 workers, disclosed he, while saying that the partnership will help in finding out alternative chemicals for the clearance of consignments.



Earlier, Dr Dhiman, welcomed the dignitaries and the senior officials of the FCI. He said that PAU and FCI, established in 1962 and 1964 respectively, have played good innings in agriculture and its allied fields. Highlighting that the Punjab state has retained its top slot in wheat production, he underlined the need to create scientific manpower to handle the produce. Dr Dhiman also shed light on the problem of the storage capacity for the food grains, being faced across the nation.
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