Agri, vet varsities gear up for Kisan Mela, Pashu Palan Mela
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is all decked up for holding a two-day Kisan Mela on September 13-14 under the theme “Kudarati Somey Bachao, Sab Laiye Khushali Liyao.”
Various departments of the PAU will highlight new crop varieties and agricultural technologies through field demonstrations, seed plots, display of charts and models as well as exhibitions and interactions. A total of 350 stalls will be put up at the mela.
With the Met Department predicting cloudy weather over Ludhiana, the university started its preparations and installed tiles at the mela ground where water usually accumulates and turns into puddles of mud and water. Many a time in the past, rain has spoiled the event.
Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Punjab, will be the chief guest while Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, will preside over the mela.
A major highlight at the mela will be the newly recommended varieties PBW Biscuit 1 of wheat, OL 17 of fodder, PHR 127 of raya, and PGSH 2155 of canola gobhi sarson. Besides, live demonstrations of straw management machinery including Surface Seeder, Smart Seeder, Drone, Super Seeder, Happy Seeder and Chopper-cum-Shredder, will be organised for the farmers.
The mela will also see competitions in crop produce, embroidery, preparation of nutritious food using oilseeds, decoration of shagun envelopes and a drawing competition on “How to save natural resources” for 8-12 years old children.
Meanwhile, the Pashu Palan Mela will also be held at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) from September 13 to 14. Dr Jatinder Paul Singh Gill, VC, said they were promoting value addition of livestock products. The mela slogan is also based on this objective: “Uttpadan ton Uttpad Banaiye, Aao Vadh Munafa Paiye.”
The VC said the mela would be a centre of attraction for not only the livestock, fisheries, poultry, goat and pig farmers but for children, youth, senior citizens as well as women also as different items will be on display for different age-groups, sections and nature.
He said the mela would be more useful for students of vocational courses studying animal husbandry and rural culture as they will get more valuable information about the latest interventions in the field of animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries etc.
