Palampur university hosts business meet
Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSKHPKV), Palampur, hosted the fifth business meet of officers and district development managers (DDMs) of NABARD, Himachal Pradesh Regional Office, Shimla, at its campus on Friday. The meet was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr Ashok Kumar Panda. Dr Vivek Pathania, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Himachal Pradesh, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Sandeep, General Manager and Kushal Deep, Deputy General Manager, NABARD, HP, were present as special guests. The meet witnessed the participation of NABARD officers and district development managers from different districts.
Dr Vinod Sharma, Director, Extension Education, welcomed the guests, highlighting the long-standing collaboration between NABARD and the university in promoting sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods.
In his inaugural address, Dr Panda expressed concern over the changing agricultural scenario of Himachal Pradesh and said the state was increasingly focusing on off-season vegetables, horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries instead of large-scale farming. He highlighted the utilisation of artificial reservoirs for fisheries development and income generation and stressed the promotion of biofloc technology as a low-water, low-cost fisheries model.
The VC further underlined the importance of training programmes for retiring Army personnel in agri-allied sectors and said efforts were underway to facilitate marketing of farmers’ produce in cantonments. He also pointed out that although indigenous cattle produced milk of superior quality, low productivity remained a challenge, making integrated and scientific farming essential for economic viability.
Raising concerns over food safety, Dr Panda cautioned that pesticide residues in animal feed could adversely affect both animal and human health. He said that declaring Himachal Pradesh as an organic state must be backed by effective action on the ground. Protected cultivation and hydroponics were identified as priority areas for future agricultural development. He also stressed that close collaboration between NABARD and agricultural universities was vital for enhancing farmers’ income.
