Tribune News ServiceLudhiana, September 19
“The women should play active role in planning and performing various agricultural operations because today’s agriculture not only requires manual skills but also a thorough understanding of the complex agriculture technology and decision making skills.” This was expressed by Raja Narinder Singh, Punjab Minister for public Health and Civil Aviation, while addressing a large gathering of the farmers after inaugurating the Kisan Mela organised by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra Rauni yesterday.
The minister gave a call to the Punjabi farmers and agriculture scientists to step ahead towards milk revolution, fishery revolution and honey revolution after the era of green revolution. He also advised the farmers to follow the recommendations of the university’s scientists right from sowing to marketing and not to suffer losses by accepting the advice of input dealers of the persons claiming to possess supernatural powers to control insect pests and diseases.
He also announced that 500 acres of land of Open Jail, Nabha, had been transferred to Punjab Agricultural University for seed production and hoped that the farmers would not face any difficulty in getting good quality seed in future. He also called for the application of biotechnology and other advanced scientific techniques in agricultural research and production.
In his presidential remarks, Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, stressed on the need for diversified and precision farming in order to meet the challenges of minimising the cost of production, improving the quality of farm produce, improving the nutritional status of our population and sustaining the natural resources of soil and water. He advised the farmers to adopt subsidiary occupations, like bee keeping, mushroom cultivation, poultry farming and dairy farming, in order to supplement their income and also to produce maximum food from per unit of land and workers.
At the same time, Dr Aulakh cautioned that in order to be successful in such kind of farming, farmers will have to carry out farm operations with their own hands rather than depending upon hired labour. The present day farming requires application of correct doses of costly inputs at appropriate time and by using the appropriate techniques. He reminded farmers and particularly the youth, who are shunning the habit of manual work, about the old Punjabi proverb which means that success in farming and trade cannot be achieved by depending upon others.
Earlier, while welcoming the chief guest and farmers, Dr Jaspinder Singh Kola, Director of Extension Education, PAU, advised the farmers to produce their own seed rather than purchasing low quality costly seeds from private agencies. For this purpose, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Patiala, has the facilities for providing training in production of hybrid and other seeds. He also stated that the kendra also has the facilities to provide practical training in dairy farming, bee keeping, poultry farming, mushroom cultivation and home science.
During the last year, the KVK, Rauni, trained more than 1,000 farmers in different short, medium and long-term training courses. Many of them are running their own enterprises, like seed production, nursery production, dairy farms, bee keeping units, very successfully. He advised other farmers to visit the farms of such farmers and register their names for training in the enterprise of their interest at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Patiala. Dr Kolar also announced that the kisan mela at Bathinda will be held on September 24, at Ludhiana on September 27 and 28 and at Gurdaspur on October 1. He appealed to the farmers to participate in these melas in large numbers along with their families.
Dr Govinder Singh Nanda, Director of Research, highlighted the salient research achievements of the university and informed that good quality seed of newly recommended durum wheat variety PDW 274 will be available for sale during the kisan mela. Besides, 4,000 packets of the seeds of improved varieties, like wheat: PBW 343, PBW 396, raya: RLM 619, peas: E-6 toria: TL-15, gram: PBG-1, gobhi Sarson: GSL-1, are being made available to the farmers. Dr Nanda advised the farmers to produce their own vegetables for family consumption by inculcating the habit of maintaining a kitchen garden. To motivate the farmers in this direction, 3,000 kitchen garden kits of vegetable seeds have also been made available during the mela. He also exhorted the farmers to read the latest farm literature for continuously updating their knowledge and urged them to buy the improved seeds, magazine and books from the seed and literature stalls of the PAU before leaving the mela and take the seeds and literature as gifts to their family members. Dr Sadhu Singh Malhi, Associate Director (Trg), KVK Patiala, said the kendra produced 800 quintals of certified seed of kharif and rabi crops during the last year. The arrangements for propagation of good quality pedigree fruit plants have also been made by establishing a fruit nursery at Krishi Vigyan Kendra. He stated that fruit plants of ber, guava and baramasi lemon are produced at the centre for supply to the farmers at reasonable price.