Ludhiana, February 4
“Diversification and innovation are key to present-day agriculture,” observed Dr MS Bhullar, Director of Extension Education (DEE), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), while presiding over the monthly review meet for the research and extension work at PAU today. Promotion and adoption of horticulture is must for long-term gains in farming, said Dr Bhullar, while making a call for giving a robust push to vegetable, fruit and flower cultivation for result-oriented agriculture and economics. Shifting from traditional crops (wheat, rice, Kinnow, guava, onion, tomato, potato, marigold, chrysanthemum, etc.) to modern crops (apple, dragon fruit, strawberry and figs among fruits; coloured carrots and bell peppers among veggies; orchids and tulips among flowers), water intensive to non-water intensive as well as climate-affected to climate-tolerant crops and technologies was the voice of the farmers and farming, said Dr Bhullar at the meeting. He took a stock of the progress report, presented by the scientists from the Regional Research Stations, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Farm Advisory Service Centres and different departments of PAU at the meet.
Dr Rajinder Singh, Coordinator (Seeds and Plant Material), Directorate of Research, while discussing research priorities, also made a call for diverting the farms towards maize, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton, etc. for on-field rich harvests and economic gains.
In his welcome remarks, Dr GPS Sodhi, Additional Director of Extension Education, highlighted the core agenda of the meeting, pointing to the status of rabi crops, fruit and vegetable crops, management of yellow rust in wheat and off-season management of cotton sticks. He further welcomed the feedback from the farmers’ fields for timely redressal of agrarian issues and devising of the research programmes.
Dr PS Sandhu, Additional Director of Extension Education, urged field level functionaries to pay a special attention to skill development for job creation and monetary sustainability. ‘Horticulture’ and ‘subsidiary occupations’ (beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, kitchen gardening, animal husbandry, etc.) act as booster dose for agriculture, and that farmers’ lives must be enriched with the addition of these occupations via skill trainings by PAU, he stressed
Dr TS Dhillon, Additional Director of Extension Education, while proposing a vote of thanks, called upon the extension scientists to ensure maximum number of participation of the farmers in the March Kisan Melas.
Dr TS Riar, Additional Director Communication, called for increased number of farmers’ enrolment for digital newspaper ‘Kheti Sandesh’, and monthly journals Changi Kheti and Progressive Farming. He also advocated regular contact between farmers and scientists through social, print and electronic media tools.
