EMINENT SPEAKERS FROM PAK, USA, AND NEW DELHI DELIVER TALKS ON AGRICULTURE AT PAU

LUDHIANA, FEBRUARY 22:



The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) organized three guest lectures today which were delivered by the eminent speakers namely Prof. Dilawar Ali Khan, Pakistan; Mr Sandip Das, Special Correspondent, The Financial Express, New Delhi; and Dr Lakhwinder Singh Hundal, Head Division of Soil Science, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, USA. The talks were hosted by the Society for Advancement of Academics, Sports and Cultural Activities; PAU Science Club; Department of Journalism, Languages and Culture; and the Department of Soil Science of PAU. Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU and the University deans, directors, additional directors, heads and faculty of various departments participated in these lectures.



Presenting the perspective of Pakistan's Agriculture, Prof. Khan pointed out that inadequate seed coverage and mechanization, imbalanced use of fertilizers, lack of proper extension services, and inadequate investment in farm research were some of the reasons for slow and erratic growth in farm productivity of Pakistan. "The agricultural growth rate, during 2010-11, has been 1.2 per cent, according to Pakistan Economic Survey 2012," he divulged, saying that there has been six-fold increase in wheat and rice production. There has been three-fold and four-fold increase in farm area and in number of farmers in Pakistan, respectively. He stated that there is a high potential of farm development in Pakistan, which remained underexploited. Prof. Khan emphasized on the redressal of national, provincial and farm management in terms of polices and programmes, land records, irrigation water supplies, information on weather and market prices, and management of farm resources and acquisition. Lauding the efforts of PAU in empowering the farmers, he saluted the University and exhorted the scientists to continue spreading the benefit of research and education through transfer of technology services.



In his remarks, Dr Dhillon said that Pakistan and India Punjabs share similar culture and agriculture. Both the sides can join hands for research and development projects and for the establishment of collaborative research centre, he added. Industry supports research and development in the foreign universities for meeting the requirements of evolvement of crop varieties and for agronomic practices, he said, saying that public private partnership is vital for farm development.



Delivering his talk on the topic, "Role of Media in Agriculture," Mr Das said that agriculture is a lifeline and a huge subject which cannot be ignored by the media, particularly, when there has been a sharp rise in the prices of farm commodities. He observed, "During last one decade, there has been an explosion of media which paved way for decentralization or localization of media, be it local TV channels, newspaper editions from small towns or local radio FM channels." In the current context, the Centre and State Governments are focusing on agriculture and the flagship schemes such as MGNREGA, watershed programmes, etc. The major challenge is to ensure that agricultural research benefits small and marginal farmers, he stressed, while saying that the science or scientists must not operate in isolation. Mr Das also highlighted the importance of press notes and said that they are a key instrument of communication. The Agricultural Universities must have Communication Centres for dissemination of information on farm technologies, he added.



In his talk on "Land Application of Bio-solids: Emerging Concerns," Dr Hundal, deliberated extensively on the environmental implications of household waste and focused on the environmental hazards of endocrine disrupting chemicals, associated with the indiscriminate use of cosmetics, toiletries, plastic ware, etc. He exhorted the postgraduate students to explore new arenas of emerging environmental issues related to the soil science.



A fruitful interaction was also held among the experts and the participants. Earlier, the dignitaries welcomed the key speakers. The participants appreciated the elaborated depiction of the speakers who were honoued with the mementoes.
News From: http://www.7StarNews.com