Ludhiana: Kisan Mela concludes with focus on water conservation, crop diversification

The concluding day of the mela focused on groundwater conservation, crop diversification and scientific farming. Farmers were urged to look beyond conventional cultivation through paddy-straw management, value addition and entrepreneurship

More than 80,000 farmers attended the concluding day of Kisan Mela on Saturday, taking the two-day turnout at the annual event past the 2.1-lakh mark.

Over 2 lakh farmers attended the two-day event. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

The two-day mela held at the Punjab Agricultural University drew farmers from across Punjab and neighbouring states. Over 1 lakh farmers attended the event on the first day and more than 80,000 on the concluding day. Nearly 3,000 quintals of seed were sold on the first day, as farmers accessed improved seeds and planting material, farm machinery, field demonstrations and agro-industrial exhibits.

The concluding day of the mela focused on groundwater conservation, crop diversification and scientific farming. Farmers were urged to look beyond conventional cultivation through paddy-straw management, value addition and entrepreneurship.

Organised by the directorate of extension education under the theme “adopt scientific farming for increasing farm income”, the mela brought farmers into direct contact with PAU scientists, extension experts, progressive farmers and representatives of the agri-industry.

Addressing the concluding session as chief guest, Punjab Mandi Board chairman Harchand Singh Barsat urged farmers to use water judiciously and avoid burning paddy straw. “Canal-water irrigation facilities have been expanded to more farmers over the past four years, helping reduce dependence on groundwater,” he said, encouraging farmers to explore crops and allied activities offering higher commercial returns, while urging farm women to take up dairy, piggery, goat farming and mushroom cultivation.

PAU vice-chancellor Sukhjeet Pal Singh stressed the need to arrest groundwater depletion through measures such as direct seeding of rice and other water-saving technologies and called for following the principle of the “right crop, right variety, right time, right technique”. He urged farmers to treat paddy straw as a resource rather than waste by adopting in-situ residue management, baling and biogas production.

The vice-chancellor also called for a shift from primary production towards processing, packaging, value addition and direct marketing to improve farm incomes and encouraged rural youth to acquire skills in emerging areas such as drone technology. He urged every visitor to take back at least one new idea from the mela and put it into practice.

PAU board of management member DS Cheema said the university had evolved from addressing food security to tackling nutritional security and newer agricultural challenges and cautioned farmers against unverified claims made by private companies and advised them to source reliable seed from PAU. He also encouraged enterprising farmers to explore hybrid seed production in collaboration with the university.

Director of research Ajmer Singh Dhatt said, “The future of agriculture will require not only higher production but also efficient marketing to ensure better returns for farmers. PBW 826 now accounts for more than 48% of the wheat area in Punjab, while PAU is also working on pulses, mustard, fodder and vegetables, reiterating the need to avoid stubble burning.”

He added that retention and proper management of crop residue could improve soil health over four to five years.

MS Bhullar, director of extension education, said, “Farmers should strengthen their skills and make informed choices about technologies and subsidiary activities to diversify their incomes. The university’s Krishi Vigyan Kendras and extension network will continue to promote research-based practices suited to field conditions.”

Additional director extension education TS Riar said the large turnout reflected farmers’continued faith in PAU. He urged farmers to facilitate the laying of pipelines through fields wherever required so that canal water could reach agricultural land and groundwater dependence could be reduced.

Awards and felicitations

Several farmers who secured prizes in the crop-produce competitions were felicitated for producing high-quality farm produce. Seven exhibitors also won top prizes in different categories of the Agro-Industrial Exhibition.

KS Agricultural Industries Pvt. Ltd., Dilawargarh, Malerkotla, won in the category covering tractors, combines, reapers, threshers and self-propelled equipment, while Gurbaz Farm Machinery Pvt. Ltd., Amanpura, Patiala, secured the prize for tractor-driven implements. Ludhiana-based Sprayman Power Products won in the category of electric motors, engines, pumping sets, tools and sprayers, while Netafim Irrigation Pvt. Ltd., Ludhiana, was awarded for water-saving tools and machines.

KC Marketing Company, Dugri Road, Ludhiana, won in the agro-processing machinery category, while Chambal Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd., Ludhiana, secured the prize for fertilisers. Bayer Crop Science, Chandigarh, won in the pesticides category.

In the entrepreneurship category, Ravinder Singh secured the first prize and Jaswinder Kaur the second.

Additional director of extension education TS Dhillon proposed the vote of thanks.