Experts dwell on natural resource management

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 6

The two-day Virtual Kisan Mela concluded at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today. The virtual mela was attended by lakhs of farmers.

The theme of the mela was ‘Aao kheti kharchey ghataiye, vadhu paani, khad na payee; Sahayek dhandey naal apna ke, kheti laheywand banaiyeh (Let us cut farm expenses, reduce the use of water and fertilisers; adopt subsidiary occupations and make farming profitable).”

Dr Jaskarn Singh Mahal, director of Extension Education, was the chief guest on the concluding day. He said: “The Virtual Kisan Mela of 2020 was the first ever virtual mela of India. It has now set an example for many institutions in the corona times.”

Dr TS Riar, additional director (Communication), said the PAU Live Programme was now also being broadcast in Canada, the US and Australia.

During the panel discussion on ‘Natural resource management with special reference to water saving technologies’, Dr Rakesh Sharda, Principal Scientist, Extension (Soil and Water Engineering); Dr RK Gupta, principal soil scientist; Dr CB Singh, senior soil scientist; Dr Mahesh Narang, agricultural engineer; Dr Arvind Jhamb, consultant (Agriculture), World Bank; Chandigarh SDO Dr GS Dhillon; and progressive farmers Satnam Singh, Devinder Singh and Rohit Kapila deliberated on water conservation technologies and shared their experiences.

Experts advised farmers to adopt drip irrigation system. The experts said it was a water-saving technology and the state government was also giving 80 per cent subsidy on this technique.

The experts also appealed to farmers to say no to paddy straw burning and instead adopt crop residue management technologies such as PAU Happy Seeder and Super Seeder for improving health of the soil and keep the air clean.

The panel discussion on “Livestock production and subsidiary occupations” laid emphasis on the adoption of subsidiary occupations such as dairy, poultry and fish farming for income enhancement.

Scientists from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) were the panel experts for the discussion of the topic.

Dr Jaskaran Mahal expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, officials of the line departments, agricultural and veterinary scientists, farmers, farm women and the rural youth for their participation in the mela. He also lauded the coordination of PAU team and the IT team for the success of the mela.