E-Paper
Ludhiana | Kisan Mela goes online for third year in a row, farmers unhappy
The state-level Kisan Mela will be held in Ludhiana on March 24 and 25, however, the decision to hold mela online has left the farmers rattled
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has decided to hold the famous Kisan Mela online for the third consecutive year to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection in the city.
The state-level Kisan Mela will be held in Ludhiana on March 24 and 25.
However, the decision has left the farmers rattled as they say that while the government has lifted restrictions, the university is still reluctant to hold mela offline.
The biannual affair was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 outbreak and was held virtually in the months of March and September during the kharif and rabi season.
Manpreet Singh Grewal, a progressive farmer and president of organic farmers club, condemned the move of PAU authorities. He said when elections and rallies could be conducted, then what was the problem in conducting offline mela.
Grewal said, “The Kisan Mela offers an opportunity to the farmers to directly interact with the PAU experts. Holding farm melas are important not only from the point of view of diversification but also from the aspect of inculcating science-based farming approaches.”
“By physically visiting the Kisan Mela, the PAU farmers get abreast with the latest technologies. Further other social messages, such motivating farmers not to take loans and avoid big fat weddings and bhog ceremonies which are some of the causes of farmer suicides, are also conveyed during the Kisan Mela,” Grewal said.
One of the major benefits of the physical mela was that the farmers purchase genuine quality seeds straight from the university and not fall in the trap of suspicious seed sellers.
Harminder Singh Grewal, another progressive farmer, said live demonstrations are always better than the online ones.
Sources in the university said PAU faculty had urged the authorities to conduct a physical mela but the latter declined the request.
The regional Kisan Melas are being organised in Amritsar, Patiala, Faridkot, Gurdaspur and Bathinda and Ropar.
Apart from melting pot for farmers from across the state, the venue offers a perfect opportunity to the politicians to spread their message among the masses.
Ashok Kumar, director of extension education, PAU, said Kisan Melas are organised twice a year in March and September for Kharif and Rabi seasons, respectively. Due to the pandemic, they are being organised virtually, he said.
Videos of field demonstrations, farm machinery, and the latest agricultural recommendations will be uploaded on the web portal of Kisan Mela. Farmers, farm women, and rural youth can participate by logging in on the website, he added.
Kumar also briefed about the online process to join the mela and its different attractions, including farmer-scientist interaction, agricultural machinery, and display of more than 200 titles of PAU publications.
