Punjab Agricultural University’s two-day Kisan Mela begins today

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 13

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is all set to organise the Kisan Mela on March 14-15. PAU officials said the entire campus is all decked up to welcome the farmers, rural women and the youth from Punjab and its neighbouring states.

The officials said nearly 300 stalls have been put up to inform the farming community about novel crop varieties, and the latest techniques and technologies pertaining to agriculture, horticulture, agricultural engineering, basic sciences and community science. Several fruit plants (kinnow, PAU kinnow 1, daisy, lemon, sweet orange, grapefruit, guava, amla, ber, papaya, mango, etc) can be purchased from the stall of the Fruit Science Department, which has been put up near the orchards opposite the College of Community Science. Flowers (perennial and ornamental) will be sold at the nursery of the Floriculture and Landscaping Department near Gate 2 and at the stall of the department near the petrol pump. Biofertilizers, vinegar carbonated beverages and kombucha will be available for purchase at the seed farm and the stall of Microbiology Department. Seeds of cereals and pulses as well as vegetable seed kits and seedlings can be bought from the seed farm. Besides, the nursery of medicinal, shade trees and traditional trees of Punjab will be available at the stall of Forestry and Natural Resources (near COCS). Apart from this, farmers and laypeople can buy processed products (multigrain flour, pickles, ready to serve fruit juice, fruit squashes and flaxseed cookies) from the stall of the Department of Food Science and Technology on the mela ground. Farm literature will be sold at four places — mela ground, outside Communication Centre, near Farmers’ Service Centre, outside old building of Communication Centre and at the seed farm.

Among new crop varieties, the mela will showcase Pusa Basmati 1847, DKC 9144 and Bioseed 9788 of maize, J 1008 of fodder maize, PCB 167 of bajra, and diverse varieties of fruit and vegetable crops. Live demonstrations will be given on surface seeding of wheat, zero tillage in maize and wheat, surface drip irrigation and fertigation in maize and sunflower, nursery raising techniques, nutrition garden model, tractor operated seeder for mat type paddy nursery, and a spraying system with unmanned aerial vehicle drone. In addition, exhibitions will be put up on low tunnel and net house vegetable cultivation, PAU fruit fly trap and termite traps, irrigation and drip irrigation techniques in orchards, value added flower products, tree plantation techniques, beekeeping, mushroom cultivation; and testing kits for potable water, food and pond water. Field demonstrations will also be given on farm machinery such as PAU Super SMS, Smart Seeder, Super Seeder and Surface Seeder, multi crop planter, lucky seed drill, tractor operated rotary weeder, electrostatic sprayer, forage harvesting machines, etc. Furthermore, setting up of agro-processing units, value added products from millets, processed products (from cereals, fruit, vegetables and milk), red wine production from grapes, vodka production from Kufri Pukhraj potato variety, etc, will be some of the other highlights. Several crop production and protection technologies as well as soil management recommendations will also be shared with the farmers.

The mela will also see competitions in crop produce; knitting, pot painting and decoration; crochet; preparation of traditional drinks; preparation of nutritious products using millets and pulses; and a drawing competition for children on the theme ‘What is happiness for you?’

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