Agri varsity to improve goat productivity

Ravinder Sood

To improve gaddi goat productivity in the state, CSK HP Agriculture University has distributed goats to 24 selected migratory gaddi breeders from Bharmaour, Bara Bhangal, Shahpur, Bandla, Rakh, Bir, Holi and Kandi.

The farmers have been given goats under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Goat Improvement by the Gaddi Field Unit.

University scientists are regularly interacting with goat farmers to know about their problems and told them to spot male gaddi goats having higher growth rate so that they could be incorporated in the project for increasing the overall productivity of goats.

The All India Coordinated Research Project is operational in 18 centers throughout the country with basic objective of improving goat productivity. Under the project, approximately 1,000 migratory goats have been registered and are being monitored throughout the year by providing breeding, healthcare and nutritional inputs.

The male kids are subjected to primary selection and on the basis of higher growth rate are purchased from the farmers and further reared at the Palampur centre. Thereafter, the second stage of selection is done and the finally selected breeding bucks are distributed to the migratory gaddi goat farmers.

Free coaching classes for students

Vice-Chancellor Prof AK Sarial has started free coaching classes for university students who are preparing for national-level competitions like junior research fellow and senior research fellow by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Eligibility Test by the Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board, banking services, etc. In addition to specific subjects, students are given classes for personality development, improving soft skills, tips and tricks to qualify English component tests, quantitative aptitude, reasoning and current affairs.

He has made it clear that the university should follow the national ranking framework criteria of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for state farm universities and teachers should work hard and put extra hours so that students win maximum fellowships and attain top positions in competitive examinations conducted by the ICAR and other national and international institutions.

Seed hubs to boost production of pulses

A new project to boost production of pulses entitled, “Creation of seed hub for increasing indigenous production of pulses in India” under the National Food Security Mission as part of government policy for increasing pulses production has started functioning in the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Una, in the university. Total sanctioned cost for the project is Rs 1.50 crore and the funding agency Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Ludhiana, has already sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for creating seed processing and seed production infrastructure for each seed hub.

A Targets to produce 100 quintal pulses seed for kharif and equal quantity for rabi have been fixed and the KVK will be involving farmers for the production of black gram and chickpea, major pulse crops of the area.

Varsity to install swipe machines

The university has initiated process to install swipe machines in its all major transaction points like the Directorate of Extension Education, Agricultural Technology Information Centre, all eight Krishi Vigyan Kendras, four constituent colleges and administration block. Orders have been placed and machines are likely to start functioning within a month’s time. The university was the first in the state to organise cashless transaction workshops for its staff and students and wants to be first to switch over to cashless transactions by farmers, students and staff.