E-Paper
Rakhra village to have IARI out-reach station
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) will set up its out-reach station in Punjab at Rakhra village in Patiala.
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) will set up its out-reach station in Punjab at Rakhra village in Patiala.
This was disclosed by KV Prabhu, joint director (research), at the IARI, New Delhi, while addressing a large gathering of farmers at the kisan mela-cum -farmers' training camp organized by the department of agriculture and the Punjab Young Farmers Association.
Prabhu said that the out-reach station would make available to the farming communities technologies and improved seeds developed by the IARI. The institute will also have scientists to conduct research and give demonstrations to farmers. The station will give of feedback of Punjab farmers' needs to the IARI scientists, he added.
Prabhu told the farmers that a new wheat variety HD-3086 which was resistant to yellow rust and gave the highest yield compared to all the existing varieties had been developed and released for sowing at Punjab farms.
He recommended to the farmers to adopt early maturing short-duration and water-saving Pusa basmati-1509 variety of rice which gave the highest returns .
Earlier, inaugurating the event, Punjab State Farmers Commission chairman G.S. Kalkat urged the farmers to diversify and take to the cultivation of vegetables, fruits and flowers to enrich soil and environment.
He attributed farmers' suicides to high expenditures incurred in buying tractors by raising loans for small farms which was highly unremunerative.
He said that 86% suicides were found to be caused due to the unnecessary expenditure and purchase of machinery by the farmers. He suggested to the small farmers to go for custom hiring of agricultural machinery to reduce their expenditure and cost of cultivation.L.S. Brar, director of agriculture, also spoke on the occasion.
