Kisan Mela begins with farmer-scientist interaction
The Punjab Agricultural University’s (PAU) Kisan Mela series commenced with an overwhelming response from farmers at the PAU-KVK Amritsar Kisan Mela. The farmers’ response highlighted the strong engagement between the university and the farming community.
The Kisan Mela was inaugurated by the PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr S Gosal, who visited the agro-exhibitions and urged farmers to take a round of the demonstration plots.
Dr Gosal urged farmers to subscribe to PAU’s farm publications so that they may stay informed about the latest university-recommended farm operations. He emphasised the importance of moving away from water-intensive crops that worsen the water crisis and harm soil health in the state. He also advocated for the conservation of paddy straw within the fields.
Dr Gosal highlighted the need to focus on processing and marketing in agriculture and also underscored the significance of adopting solar energy. He urged farmers to utilise PAU’s radio and TV programmes, as well as its social media platforms, to stay updated on the university’s recommendations. He also urged their participation in the university’s weekly social media live stream programmes. He stressed the importance of relying on PAU-recommended farming techniques for better results.
During the event, Amritsar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Harpreet Singh urged farmers to adopt PAU-recommended crop varieties and technologies to enhance productivity and sustainability. He dispelled the common belief that the state farmers were solely focused on wheat and paddy. He noted that their strong presence at the mela reflects their adaptive and progressive mindset.
Harpreet Singh urged the expansion of the processing industry, emphasising the need to bring processing machinery to the mall for demonstrations, including packaging and selling techniques. He highlighted that while all farmers in Amritsar district cultivate vegetables, the potential for processing remained underutilised, which was crucial for the future of profitable farming. He said forward-thinking research combined with innovative farmers would lead to progress in the state. Additionally, he informed the audience about the upcoming government port in the area, which would have direct connectivity to Kandla port, facilitating the export of vegetables.
Director of Extension Education at the university, Dr Makhan Singh Bhullar emphasised the university’s commitment to developing crop varieties and technologies that enhance agricultural productivity. He highlighted the university’s focus on helping farmers go towards self-marketing and primary processing of produce to promote more profits and advancing skill development to empower the rural community and youth.
