PAU TO HONOUR SIX PROGRESSIVE FARMERS ON KISAN MELA

LUDHIANA, MARCH 14:



The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will honour six progressive and innovative farmers, on the inaugural day of PAU Kisan Mela, on March 15. The farmers will be awarded cash prizes, plaque and citations for excelling in agriculture, horticulture, and allied activities.



A progressive farmer, Sh. Sushil Periwal of village Khippanwali, district Fazilka, will be conferred with the "Chief Minister Award in Agriculture." He has carved a unique niche for himself in the field of agriculture by adopting scientific methods. In addition to his ancestral land of 32 acres, Sh. Periwal has taken 96 acres of land on lease and thus, is cultivating on a total of 128 acres of land for the last 37 years. By leveling his orchards through laser land leveler technology, he has saved about 30% of water and improved the health of fruit plants. He has adopted drip irrigation method to save water. He uses farm machinery according to mechanical and scientific techniques. A 62-year old Sh. Periwal has remained in touch with the Kisan Melas of PAU for the last 37 years. For the marketing of horticultural produce under the brand name "LSP", he personally visits Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Kanpur and Surat. He is earning 15-20% more income as compared to other farmers.

S. Davinder Singh of village Nakodar, district Jalandhar, will be conferred with "Chief Minister Award in Agriculture." Having 20 years of farming experience, he has excelled as a successful vegetable grower. He owns a small land of 1.8 hectare and has taken 1 hectare of land on lease. He has the credit of inventing intercropping of onion with cabbage for which he was selected by ICAR at All India Level Farm Innovators 2010. He has invented several techniques of intercropping and multi-cropping of different vegetables. To save water, he has adopted bed planting technology and for applying timely irrigation to paddy, he uses tensiometer. He has also installed drip, sprinkler and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems and makes need-based application of pesticides/chemicals. S. Singh has established a protected cultivation unit of size 2700 sq.ft at his farm for off-season cultivation of vegetables, nursery raising and cultivation of pesticide free vegetables. He regularly visits Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jalandhar and PAU, Ludhiana for seeking latest knowledge and technology.

S. Gurraj Singh Virk of village Kotkapura, district Faridkot, will be awarded "Chief Minister Award in Horticulture." He has made remarkable progress in horticulture by cultivating fruits, vegetables and flowers in his ancestral land of 40 acres. He has 39 years of long association with agriculture and has been honoured by National Horticulture Mission in recognition of his outstanding work in grapes and kinnow cultivation. In his seven acres of land, he is saving 70% of water through drip irrigation method. By using happy seeder for wheat sowing, he has not only reduced the cost of cultivation but has also got better yield. For pruning and training of kinnow plants, he uses machines and saves labour worth Rs 10,000/- per acre. He has become a role model for his fellow farmers. He has maintained a close contact with Regional Kisan Mela, Faridkot and State Departments of Agriculture and Horticulture.

S. Sirbeerinder Singh Sidhu of Shri Muktsar Sahib will be awarded "CRI Award" for adopting improved farm mechanization in agriculture. He has made tremendous progress in agriculture by making safe and proper use of farm machinery. S. Sidhu has earned good name by cultivating agro-forestry, horticultural and agricultural crops in an area of 162 acres. He owns 3 tractors, 2 rotavators, 3 cultivators, one deep tiller, cotton sowing drill and the entire agri-machinery. He has divided his 162 acres of land into various crops - 16 acre paddy, 20 acre basmati 1121, 6 acre agro-forestry, 1 acre sugarcane (pona), 5 acre vegetables, 2 acre fodder, 85 acre wheat, 42 acre cotton, 90 acre kinnow, 8 acre malta and 10 acre guava, respectively. To reduce the dependence on manual labour, S. Sidhu has done wonders in making use of farm machinery. According to his estimates, he saves nearly Rs 1,81,800 during every season, after deducting all expenses. Although he has mechanized agriculture, yet he has provided employment to 30 families.

Er. Jaswinder S. Gill of village Bhagwanpura, district Tarn Taran, will be conferred with the "CRI Award" for adopting improved water management technologies. He is engaged in agriculture for the last 12 years. He is a regular reader of PAU farm literature including Package of Practices, Progressive Farming, and other agri-literature. Ever since he has followed PAU recommendations and adopted tensiometer and laser land leveler technologies, he has saved water and improved the health of his crops. Although the Punjab Government has prohibited the transplantation of paddy before June 15 by enacting a law, yet S. Gill has been following this practice for the past 12 years. This has resulted into water conservation as well as better yield of paddy. With bed plating, ridge planting and zero tillage, he conserves natural resources. He gets the tubewell water tested before its use. Being an engineer, he modifies farm machinery as per need and educates other farmers about natural resource conservation technologies.

Sh. Vinod Jyani of village Katehra, district Fazilka, will be awarded "CRI Award" for adopting organic farming. His farm "Jyani Natural Farm" is recognized at national level. In addition to his ancestral land of 30 acres, he has taken 95 acres of land on lease, on which he is practicing organic farming for the last 23 years. In his organic fruit farm, he has planted kinnow on 36 acre, malta on 15 acre, guava on 10 acre, banana on 6 kanal, and grapes on 2 kanal. In Kharif season, he cultivates sorghum, bajra, maize, guar, cotton, sugarcane and summer moong, whereas in Rabi season, he cultivates wheat, barley, oats, gram, fenugreek and mustard. He follows mixed cropping, intercropping and crop rotation system to take care of plant nutrients. His dairy farm of 50 Indian breed desi rathi cows provides sufficient farm yard manure. He has also motivated the farmers of his nearby villages for organic cultivation. He cultivates pulses to improve the soil fertility. Sh. Jyani has gained knowledge in organic farming from Kheti Virasat Mission, Amritsar and Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad.
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