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| Saturday, March 17, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
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Kisan Mela
concludes Ludhiana, March 16 Addressing the gathering, Dr
K.S. Aulakh, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, said in order to face the new challenges in agriculture we must replace our traditional farm technologies with the modern ones and this was possible only if the farmers kept a constant touch with the university scientists. Dr Aulakh further said only latest knowledge of the farming technology would take them to the forefront of agricultural process. He said he was hopeful that the farmers of the state would boldly accept the challenges posed by the WTO treaty. He advised the farmers to diversify their farming by growing more vegetables and pulses. He maintained that by shifting only half acre to vegetables and pulses farmers could produce enough to meet the needs of their own families thereby saving about Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. Dr Jaspinder Singh
Kolar, Director, Extension Education, thanked the farmers for participating in the
mela. Students of the university decorated the stage with banners and placards conveying a message to be wary of the drugs which are engulfing the young generation. It was organised by the Aas Kiran Society. A prize distribution function was also organised where farmers were given prizes for their outstanding contribution in the field of producing high yields of various crops. |
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The lighter side of Kisan Mela Ludhiana, March 16 Home Science College girls had prepared burgers, cup cakes and coconut cookies and were selling them at reasonable prices. They made Rs 2000 yesterday and they hope to make similar sale today. In one colourful stall were hanging cushion covers,
dupattas, wall hangings and tops. Stitches of different kind like Shadow work, Sindhi stitch,
Kantha, Phulkari, Salma Sitara, Cross Stitch and Chickenkari were embroidered beautifully showing the skill of the students. They had also used batik, stencil, screen, block printing, tie and dye technique to make the clothes look different and individualistic. These students also orgnaised an embroidery competition for rural women. Sukhbir Kaur from Rampur village was declared first. Sarabjit Kaur of Mullanpur won the second prize. The students of Child Development organised a caligraphy test for children in the 10-12 years age group. Gagandeep Kaur stood first and Sukhcharan Singh was second. The students of the Dietary Department had prepared beautiful charts displaying diets for diabetic and cardiac patients. The stall that drew the maximum crowd was organised by the Communication Centre which sold books useful for the farmers as well as the housewives. Dr Avtar Singh, Associate Director (Publication) said that they had sold books worth Rs 1,73,000 on the first day and expected to sell as many on the second day of the
mela. Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab — Kharif and Rabi was most in demand. The book was available in English and Punjabi. Similarly, Package of Practice for Cultivation of Vegetables, Mushrooms , Flowers and Fruits found many buyers. Package for Animal and Veterinary and Forestry Package of Practices were also in demand. Books on dairy faming, poultry and bee keeping were bought by farmers in large numbers. The PAU crop calendar which showed when the farmers should sow and harvest their crops, the pests that are likely to attack the crops was popular with the farmers. The Preservation of Food and Vegetables by Home Science Department found favour with the
women. Bhangra performed by robust young men added colour to the
mela.
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Award for two
farmers Ludhiana, March 16 Another progressive farmer, Mr Sukhpal Singh Bhullar, was also awarded at kisan mela. The credit to get the provision to export flower seeds included in the export goods Act goes to Mr Langrian. Prior to 1986, there was no such provision. He approached the Union Agriculture Ministry and Ministry of Commerce to get the clause incorporated. A postgraduate in landscaping and floriculture from PAU, Mr Langarian left the job of a floriculturist from Improvement Trust, Ludhiana, and started working on his own farm at Langrian village in Sangrur. He has the biggest stock of flower seeds, which include 1280 strains and 700 varieties of various flowers. “I have been continuously working in the field of improving varieties and am fully prepared to grow more new flower varieties which will fetch more economic returns, “ says Mr
Langraian. He is also cultivating vegetables and fruits in his farms. He has also developed various agro machines. He owes all the credit of his success to his guide, Mr
A.P.S. Gill, a PAU floriculture scientist. “I am planning to set up a showroom of packed vegetables, where various corners like pesticide-free vegetables, pesticide-sprayed vegetables, indigenous vegetables like
chenopodium, chalai and aloe will be made available. This is my dream now and will fulfil it shortly,” says Mr
Langraian. With his efforts, 212 farmers in the state have adopted floriculture. Mr Sukhpal Singh Bhullar from Ghuman Kalan, Bathinda, was given away this award for his outstanding contributions in the field of growing fruits and vegetables and developing agro machinery. A commerce graduate from Rajindra College,
Bathinda, Mr Bhullar was determined to work in his farms. “It is a common practice in villages that if a persons gets educated stops thinking in terms of agriculture as a profession. But I had already decided that I will choose it as my profession and I am working on it.” Mr Bhullar says. He has grown good quality kinnows, grapes and vegetables and is hopeful to export his produce in the near future. He is producing grapes with an Israeli technique and is producing grapes worth Rs 1.25 lakh per acre. He has also developed a kinnow graders which differentiates six sizes of kinnows. He is of the opinion that implementation of WTO treaty will not be a problem for hard workers and will open new fields instead. |
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Announce MSP of crops, BKU asks
govt Ludhiana, March 16 Releasing the proceedings of the meeting to the press, the BKU general secretary, Mr Manjit Singh Kadian, informed that the government was urged to make all necessary arrangements for procurement of forthcoming wheat crop and to ensure that adequate quantity of gunny bags and arrangements for transportation of the produce were available in all the mandis and purchase centres. The meeting also called upon the government to make foolproof arrangements for payment of the wheat crop to the farmers by the respective procurement agencies, within 24 hours. The BKU, Mr Kadian further said, would take up with the state government and the Centre, the matter of grant of direct subsidies to the farmers on the pattern of USA and other developed countries, for losses suffered on account of distress sale and natural calamities. The American farmers were, at times, getting as high as 120 per cent subsidies, whereas in India, the farmers were given negligible subsidies. The meeting reviewed the arrangements and preparations for the proposed national level rally of farmers in Delhi on March 19 to focus on the anti-farmers provisions of WTO. |
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Farm experts recommend
cost management methods Ludhiana, March 16 The experts say that there are more than 11 lakh farming families in Punjab who are passing through a critical phase due to the decreased profits in the wheat-paddy crop rotation. The increase in prices of wheat and paddy have failed to keep up with the increase in cost of diesel, fertilisers, pesticides and other farm inputs. In view of the cheap wheat and rice available in the international market, there is not much hope of increase in the prices of farm produce. The farmers allege that no worthwhile variety has been introduced by PAU agriculture scientists to increase the yield during recent years. The claims of farm scientists about the yields have not been fulfilled in the fields. The income of farmers per acre is on decline. What is the alternative before the farmers to face the developing scenario? Dr Surjeet Singh Gill, Director, Communication Centre, PAU, is of the view that the situation is very serious for the farmers. He says, ‘‘The university can not introduce new variety of crops every six months to recommend on the kisan mela. We are now emphasising on the cost management at the farm level and to check unnecessary expenditure on social functions and day to day consumption by the farmers.’’ Regarding the problem of marketing of farm produce Mr Gill has a suggestion: The farmers may have difficulties in selling foodgrains, vegetables and other products. But majority of them are purchasing so many farm products such as ghee, refined oil, lentls, vegetables and sometimes even milk and other milk products. They can easily save money worth hundreds of crores by producing these products for themselves. The studies of the university on Punjab farmers’ changing consumption pattern have also found that more and more farmers have shifted from multi- farm produce to mono-culture of wheat and paddy. It has resulted in their increased dependence on the sale of these crops. Mr Pritam Singh, a farmer of a nearby village when contacted at the kisan mela, said, ‘‘The farmers would not hesitate to spend lakhs of rupees on marriages, death related ceremonies and on drinks, though they always complain of deteriorating conditions in the age-old profession.’’ Prof P.S. Rangi, Department of Economics and Sociology, PAU, said, ‘‘Due to the adverse conditions of marketing, the number of farmers have already started increasing area under vegetables, lentils, sugarcane and other crops for self consumption. This trend may pick up if the government follows policies such as direct subsidy to the farmers for adopting environment friendly practices instead of supplying free electricity supply to them. The free supply has only aggravated the problems of the farming community.’’ |
Farewell functions at colleges Ludhiana, March 16 A group of six girls draped in black sarees danced on a parody of old Hindi numbers including ‘Parde mein rehne do’ and ‘Pag bandh gaya ghungroo’. Bhangra was performed by girls dressed in white kurta and blue jeans. Nidhi and Ishtdeep enthralled the audience by their performance on the number, ‘Saat samundar paar’.As many as 50 final year students participated in the modelling round. The girls gave their brief introduction and thanked their juniors and teachers for arranging the party. At SDP College for Women, the first year students of MA arranged a cultural programme for their seniors. Various dance and song items were presented by the students. Nearly 20 girls participated in the modelling contest. Sweety Bali was chosen Miss SDP and Monika Thakur was selected as the first runners up. Ms S.Verma, Principal, wished the students good luck for their future. |
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Gurukul
admissions Ludhiana, March 16 The next session will start from April 8. The admissions will be made for classes IV, V and VI. The school provides education from class IV to Class VIII. |
Inter-varsity cultural
fest Ludhiana, March 16 Contests for several cultural and literary events, including creative dance, ghazal singing, short skit, western solo singing, choreography, cartooning, dumb charades, collage making, sketching, case presentation, press conference, story telling, fashion show and quiz were held. The function was inaugurated by Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, Minister for Technical Education and Industrial Relations. Results of the various contests are — quiz: Varun Goyal and Amit Ahuja from Gujranwala Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Ludhiana (1); Amit Bhatta and Vineet Chaudhary from College of Management, Technology and Research (CMTR), SAS Nagar (2); and Aalamnit and Pankaj Nayar from Guru Teg Bahadur National College, Dakha (3); dumb charades: Sanjeev Sharma and Dipeshwar Singh from RIMA, Chandigarh (1); Preeti Chawla and Nitisha Juneja (2); and Ruchi and Shubhjeet from Khalsa College for Women (KCW), Ludhiana (3); press conference: Vidhi from Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology (GNIMT), Model Town, Ludhiana (1); Kumud from SCD Government College, Ludhiana (2); and Tarunpreet from KCW, Ludhiana (3); turn coat: Bikramjeet from SCD Government College, Ludhiana (1); Meenakshi from Institute of Management Studies at Guru Nanak Girls College (IMSGNG), Model Town, Ludhiana (2); and Deepeshwar Singh from RIMA, SAS Nagar (3); creative dance: Pawanpal Kaur from MGIIN, Fatehgarh Sahib (1); Gaganvir from GNIMT, Ludhiana and Tejinder from RIMA, SAS Nagar (2); and Amit from PIMT, Mandi Gobindgarh and Nidhi from IMSGNG (3); western solo: Alexander from GGNIMT (1); Deepeshwar Singh from RIMA, SAS Nagar (2); and Kulraj from CMTR, SAS Nagar (3). |
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