Ghana Delegation Visits PAU, Explores Collaborative Areas

Ludhiana, April 28, 2015: To explore potential collaborative areas, a three-member delegation from African country “Ghana” visited the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today and interacted with the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon and other senior officials of the University. The delegation comprised members Prof. Haruna Yakubu, Vice-Chancellor, University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana; Dr ABT Zakariah, Registrar, UDS and S.S. Bhattal, Director, Arima Group, Ghana.

While presenting an overview of PAU, Dr Dhillon said the University has played a motherly role in green revolution, pioneered work in apiculture, produced outstanding human resources, and has emerged as a leader in conservation agriculture and farm mechanization. “Punjab generates second largest exportable surplus in rice in the world after Thailand and third largest in wheat after Canada and Argentina,” he disclosed. Besides, Dr Dhillon acquainted the delegation with the genesis and evolution of PAU, its organizational set-up, research set-up, academic programmes, and extension mechanism with thrust on major crop varieties alongwith their production-protection technologies, subsidiary occupations, agro-processing technologies, Kisan Melas and other latest modules of transfer of technology. Dr Dhillon suggested exchange of scientists for cooperation.

Sharing his experience of Ghana agriculture, Prof. Yakubu called for tie-up in the areas of agri-engineering, extension, and academics. Experiment of new varieties and exchange of faculty and students should be the focus areas, he said, while adding “Targeting students is must as they are future of the collaboration.” He also suggested partnership among the departments of both the institutes.

Dr Zakariah informed PAU about academic set-up and international collaborations of UDS.

The PAU experts identified the areas of microbiology, food science and technology, nutrition and dietetics, animal conservation and bio-fertilizers. On the occasion, Dr P.K. Khanna, Registrar; Dr R.S. Sidhu, Director of Extension Education; Dr Neelam Grewal, Dean, Postgraduate Studies; Dr H.S. Dhaliwal, Dean, College of Agriculture; Dr G.K. Sangha, Dean, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities; Dr J.S. Dhiman, Additional Director of Research (Natural Resource and Plant Health Management); Dr Chander Mohan, Additional Director Communication; Dr P.S. Chahal, Associate Director of Research and Dr T.S. Thind, Adjunct Professor, PAU also interacted with the delegation.