Corporate organisations, agri varsity demonstrate farm tech advances at Jatana

HDFC Parivartan, CII Foundation and Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, jointly organised a demonstration and training session at Jatana village. The session showcased the agri varsity’s new technologies, including the Mitter Seeder and the Harvesting-cum-Surface Seeding system (000 Seeding Technology).

The event’s objective was to promote sustainable straw management and equip farmers with technical knowledge for efficient wheat sowing in Ludhiana district.

The Mitter Seeder, developed by PAU as a low-cost and farmer-friendly machine, incorporates paddy straw into the soil after combine harvesting and enables wheat sowing in a single pass with 7.25-inch row spacing.

It operates efficiently on a 50 HP two-wheel tractor and has a field capacity of 8–9 acres per day, making it a cost-effective and convenient alternative to the Super Seeder.

The 000 Seeding Technology (Triple Zero) is another significant PAU innovation, which enables sowing of wheat immediately after paddy harvest without tillage and drilling. The process involves paddy harvesting, followed by broadcasting of wheat seed and fertiliser, finally spreading straw uniformly over the field surface.

The event was attended by PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Khanna SDM Dr Baljinder Singh Dhillon, Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Gurdeep Singh, Director Extension Education Dr Makhan Singh Bhullar, PAU scientist Dr Jasbir Singh, and over 250 farmers.

Dr Gurdeep Singh and Dr Bhullar informed the gathering about the operational, agronomic and economic benefits of both technologies. Progressive farmers adopting sustainable straw management practices were also felicitated with certificates.

Dr Satbir Singh Gosal shared that these PAU technologies were being promoted this year across six districts, including Gurdaspur, Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Taran Taran, during the post-paddy season with the support of CII Foundation and HDFC Parivartan.

“This new technique is a boon for our agricultural community as it offers multiple benefits. It is cost effective, time saving and easy to adopt. The technology will undoubtedly improve livelihoods,” shared Chandrakanth Pradhan,Project Lead, Climate Change and Resilience, CII Foundation, said.

Live field demonstrations of the Mitter Seeder and the 000 Seeding Technology was given by PAU scientist Dr Jasbir Singh at farmer Harjit Singh’s fields using another farmer Amandeep Singh’s combine.