The Tribune – Evolve a workable agri-diversification plan: PM tells state

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 8. The issue of agricultural diversification was raised prominently by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during the Golden Jubilee Convocation at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today.

“Punjab’s agricultural strategy must evolve a workable diversification plan which causes least economic hardships to farmers and provides them with alternative crops that can yield a high income,” said the Prime Minister.

He said investment in marketing linkages would be greatly facilitated by supporting changes in the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act which would allow private markets to develop. Badal said the state was ready with a diversification plan, but it needed remunerative minimum support price and an assured marketing system for alternative crops.

Urging the Prime Minister to set up a technology mission for diversification of agriculture, Badal said an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore be made for “Diversification Mission for Green Revolution States” in Northern India on the lines of the already-sanctioned programme of “Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India”.

Expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister for sanctioning Borlaug Institute and the Directorate of Maize Research for Punjab, the Chief Minister demanded centres of excellence for research in soyabean and fisheries be set up in the state.

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The Tribune – Golden Jubilee Celebrations; PAU gears up for PM’s visit today

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 7. The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has high expectations from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the campus tomorrow. The Prime Minister would be the chief guest at the university’s golden jubilee convocation.

PAU Employees Union president Paramjit Singh Gill said as the Union Government expected the university to play a key role in bringing about the “Second Green Revolution”, the Centre must issue grants for research and innovation.

He said the funding would help in filling vacant posts of scientists and inducing new scientists for research work.

Gill said the university was at the forefront while ushering the country in the Green Revolution earlier as well.

While gearing up for the high-profile visit, Vice-Chancellor BS Dhillon said the Prime Minister’s visit would have “positive ramifications”. He said he, however, did not have any specific expectations from the Prime Minister’s visit.

Counting the university’s achievements, he said taking agriculture to the next level was the next task cut ahead of the university.

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The Tribune – 50 years of PAU; Experts favour subsidy only for eco farming

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 27. An expert at a university in the US, Dr Rattan Lal, has suggested that only those farmers should be given subsidies who practise farming in an eco-friendly manner.

Lal, a professor at Soil Science, Carbon Management and Sequestration Centre in Ohio, said such a mechanism would not only benefit the soil’s health but would also prove to be an economically viable option for farmers in the long run.

Speaking at the ‘International Conference on Agricultural Sustainability Food and Livelihood Security’ at Punjab Agricultural University, he said, “Instead of giving subsidies for agriculture, various governments and international bodies like the United Nations should encourage green practices in farming.” The conference was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Lal said extractive farming practices, including removing crop residue for using it as fodder or household fuel, were the prime cause behind soil degradation. “Soil degradation is also caused by overuse of resources and ignorance and misunderstandings about the functioning of the ecosystem,” he said.

He also raised concern over the excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, which were the main reason behind the spread of chronic diseases. “Moreover, fertilisers also damage the soil’s health,” he said. Several other farm experts and scientists echoed similar views on subsidy for eco-farming.

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The Tribune – Golden jubilee celebrations at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Sustainable agriculture PAU’s next big challenge

Ruchika M. Khanna, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 26. Fifty years and still going strong. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) continues to be at the forefront of revolutionising agriculture in north India. Having acted as torchbearer while bringing about a green revolution in the country, the university continues to strive for increased food production and sustainable agriculture.

Punjab as food bowl

It is mainly because of the pioneering work done by PAU scientists that Punjab and Haryana have emerged as the food bowl of the country. Punjab alone contributes 70 per cent of the total wheat and rice produced in the country despite having just 1.55 per cent of the total land in the country. In 1966 before PAU was given the mandate to improve food production in the country and help the nation become food surplus, the country was importing 10.3 million tonnes of foodgrain to feed its teeming millions (the population was 49 crore then).

Today, the country is not just self-sufficient in foodgrain production, but is also exporting a huge quantity of wheat and rice. This has been possible mainly because of the improved hybrid varieties of crops and production and protection technologies developed by PAU and then disseminated further to farmers not just in the state, but across the country.

PAU has also contributed in a major way for promoting mechanisation of farm operations, promoting dairy farming, poultry and vegetable and fruit production.

707 crop varieties

Since its inception in 1962, PAU has developed 707 improved varieties of different crops. Of this, 117 varieties have been released at the national level. Over the past 50 years, the university’s research and development in agriculture has not diminished. In fact, scientists here have continued to develop better seed and improved agriculture practices.

Dr Allah Rang, head, department of Plant Breeding, claimed that two recent varieties of rice developed by the university — PR 121 and PR 122 (both having 10 per cent higher yield than any other variety) — were set to get a good response from farmers once they were released later this year. “The recently developed varieties of wheat, PBW 621 and HD 2967 (both resistant to yellow rust), have also been received well by farmers in the region,” he said.

Looking ahead

PAU Vice Chancellor Dr B S Dhillon said the major task before him was to ensure that the university continued to strive for excellence in research. “As we celebrate the golden jubilee of PAU, we cannot be sitting on past laurels. Looking ahead, PAU’s objective will be the sustainable improvement of foodgrain production, which will help conserve natural resources.

We are now focusing on research through integration of biotechnology with crop production. Instead of looking at merely creating progressive farmers and farm scientists, the university will be looking at developing entrepreneurship in agro processing and development of bio energies,” he said.

Need for more budget

However, for the University to move ahead with its new mandate for research and development, it requires huge funds at its disposal. But with 90 per cent of its total budget being consumed by salaries and pensions, the university has little funds at its disposal for conducting research.

Though the state government has increased the planned and non-planned budget of the university from Rs 103 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 190 crore in this fiscal, the increased budget will be consumed mainly for salaries and to foot the pension bills of the university staff.

Though a special grant of Rs 100 crore was given to the university by the Union Government in 2006, it was utilised mainly for day-to-day expenses. The university will continue to look at the funds trickling from various ministries and Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to conduct its research projects.

Dr G S Khush, an internationally acclaimed rice breeder and alumni of the university, said PAU will continue to play an important role in future for developing more technologies for increasing food production, training scientists and entrepreneurs for agro processing so that the industry can be developed in a major way in Punjab. “After promoting agriculture, PAU now needs to promote agro industry so that employment avenues can be generated,” he said.

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The Tribune – Panjab Agricultural University to honour innovative farmers

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 20. The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will honour five progressive and innovative farmers, on the inaugural day of PAU Kisan Mela, on September 21. The farmers will be awarded cash prizes, plaques and citations for excelling in agriculture and allied sectors.

The farmers to be awarded are Mangal Singh Nagra, Rajesh Behl, Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, Karamjit Kaur and Manjit Singh.

A progressive farmer, Mangal Singh Nagra from Kohla village in Jalandhar district, will be awarded “Parwasi Bharti Award 2012″ for diversified farming. Nagra had given up traditional rice-wheat rotation system and adopted diversified agriculture.

Besides owning 45 acres of land, he has taken additional 335 acres of land on lease and thus, carries out his farm venture on a total area of 380 acres.

Rajesh Behl of Hayat village in Gurdaspur district, will be conferred with “Shri Ujagar Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award 2012″ for excellence in vegetable production. A qualified mechanical engineer, 62-year-old Behl adopted his ancestral profession and has been producing vegetables on 16 acres of land for the last 30 years.

Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, a qualified electronics engineer from Rataul Rohi village in Ferozepur district, will be presented with “Sardar Dalip Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award 2012,” for his significant contribution to agriculture development.

Forty-one-year-old Dhillon has been farming for the last 20 years and cultivates field crops on 92 acres of land. He has adopted resource conservation technologies like use of tensiometer for saving water and use of laser land leveller to level his fields.

A successful kinnow grower, Karamjit Kaur from Danewala village in Fazilka district, will be honoured with “State Awardee Sardarni Jagbir Kaur Memorial Innovative Woman Farmer Award 2012″ for her contribution to agriculture and allied enterprises.

She holds the world record by producing 132.25 tonnes of kinnows from one hectare area in 2001. She earned the title of “Kinnow Queen” in 2004 from Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal.

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