A large number of farmers attended the Kisan Mela organised at Punjab Agricultural University’s Regional Research Station Ballowal Saunkhari ,on Friday 6 September .Farmers in large numbers participated in the one-day KisanMela and interacted with the university scientists in order to, seek solutions to their problems. They visited the numerous stalls installed at the kisan mela ground, saw live demonstrations, purchased PAU farm literature, seasonal seeds and planting material .The Mela was based on the theme “kudarti Somme Bachao, Sab Layi Kushali liyao”
Mr. Malvinder Singh Kang, Member of Parliament, Shri Anandpur Sahib was invited as the chief guest of the mela. Inaugurating the mela, Mr Singh said that the Punjab Agricultural university has played a pivotal part in the agricultural development of the Kandi region. He exhorted the farmers to maintain the soil quality of this region by using sparingly manure and pesticides.
Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice Chancellor, in his presidential remarks, urged the farmers to grow more and more trees to control drastic climatic changes. He impressed upon the need to use Doordarshan, All India Radio, various social media platforms (Facebook Live Programme and Whatsapp) and PAU publications to stay updated about the latest agricultural technologies and recent advances in farm practices. He emphatically advised the farmers to invest in trainings related to agricultural marketing, thereby becoming self-reliant and increasing farm income . He asked the farmers to go for the chapatti variety of wheat, PBW-826 , PBG-10 variety of Grams, economical pulses -oil kit, Barseem-rye kit and vegetable kits to save money and attain better health. In his view, the Regional Research Station of Ballowal Saunkhri is doing a remarkable job in the development and dissemination of agricultural technologies suitable for the region. Apart from this, College of Agriculture has been established at the Regional Research Station, Ballowal Saunkhri which offers four year degree in the B.Sc. Agriculture and ensures job opportunities to the pass outs of this college. He encouraged the farmers to send their children to this college rather than sending them abroad where they usually face an identity crisis.
Dr Makhan Singh Bhullar, Director of Extension Education, PAU welcomed the dignitaries and the participants present at the occasion. He endorsed subsidiary occupations like bee-keeping and dairy farming in order to have better everyday income. He recommended the PAU’s monthly magazine Changi Kheti(Progressive Farming) and said that it should be subscribed by the farmers for getting latest information about agricultural practices carried out by the university. He hoped that the current mela would be useful in making agricultural practices more profitable.
Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, PAU shared the endeavors made in research by the agri university to create better farm produce that has excellent nutrient quality. He revealed that the university is incessantly directing its research to combat new challenges faced by the Punjab Agriculture with the purpose of addressing sensitive issues like depleting water resources and increasing cost of cultivation etc. He asked the farmers to try crop varieties like PBW-826, GSC-7 for Saron, TL-17 Toriya, BL-42 of Barseem, TMLC-2 of Tarameera etc. For promoting biscuit industry, he suggested PWB- Biscuit-1. He advocated the sensible use of water, biofertilizers and other farm inputs. He advised the farmers not to overdo the use of pesticides to control Peeli kungi. According to him, other crops which can be grown profitably in this region are haldi, adrak, potato and wheat.
Dr Ashok Kumar,Member, Board of Management, PAU, Ludhiana shared with pride that PAU topped the NIRF rankings second time in a row He stated that natural resources like soil and water should be preserved at all costs. Besides he said that Punjab is already ahead in terms of crop produce, now the focus needs to be shifted towards making market friendly products for increased financial gain.
Mrs Santosh Kataria, MLA, Balachaur appreciated the efforts of PAU scientists in teaching the local farming community the methods of effectively taking care of crops and selling them in the market for generating sufficient funds to support their families.
Mr Narinder Singh, Mr. Avtar Singh, Mr. Mandeep Singh Chauhan, Mr. Naresh Kumar, Mr. Rashpal Rana and Mr Mukesh Kumar were some of the progressive farmers who were honored at the time of Kisan mela. Meenal Phagna (2021 batch), Amanjot Kaur (2022 batch) and Chahatpreet Kaur (2023 batch) were the meritorious students who were awarded Dr Devraj Bhumbla Scholarship.
Dr Manmohanjit Singh, Director, RRS, Ballowal Saunkhari proposed the vote of thanks.
The kisan mela at Ballowal Saunkhri was very successful inspite of the heavy rain since morning and the place was thronged by a large number of farmers. To add colors to the mela celebration, students of BSc. Agriculture gave a breathtaking bhangra performance.
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