ICAR-CIPHET organized Industry Interface Fair on Agro-Processing (IIFA) and Kisan Mela 2022

Ludhiana, October 3, 2022: ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology, Ludhiana organized Industry Interface Fair on Agro-Processing and Kisan Mela – 2022 today to celebrate its 34th Foundation Day. The event was inaugurated by Dr. Inderjeet Singh, Vice Chancellor, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU), Ludhiana. He urged the farmers of Punjab to diversify their agricultural system by including other crops such as maize, millets and also to incorporate value addition into their production system. 

Dr. Jai Singh, Former OSD, ICAR-CIPHET along with Dr. A K Thakur, ADG (PE), ICAR, New Delhi were also present during the inauguration ceremony. Dr. Jai Singh expressed his views about the institute and ways forward. He suggested the farmers to focus on primary processing along with production enhancement to increase their income. Dr. Thakur, appealed the farmers and entrepreneurs to connect with institute for taking benefits from the developed technologies.

During the fair, CIPHET, PAU, GADVASU, HAU, YSPUHF Nauni and farmers and entrepreneurs from different areas demonstrated various technologies including machines, plastics structures etc. to visitors on more than 40 stalls, along with display and sale of different value-added products like vegan dairy analogues, gluten free bakery products, extruded snacks and some innovative products based on millets etc. Kisan Goshthi was also organized as a part of the fair and various topics such as on farm agro processing, protected agriculture, fish handling, fruit processing, pulse processing etc. were covered by experts.

The institute honored its staffs who has completed 10 and 25-years of services and also released five publications during the occasion. ICAR-CIPHET developed technology “Autoclavable Microencapsulation System” was licensed to Mohali based firm, M/s Bio-age Equipments & Services during the event.

Dr. Nachiket Kotwaliwale, Director, ICAR-CIPHET, thanked all the visitors and experts for active participation and promised to extend all kind of possible assistance from the institute to the farmers, entrepreneurs and different stakeholders engaged in the line of post-harvest engineering and technology. Demonstrated technologies and products have potential to boost the income through processing and reducing post-harvest losses. CIPHET- IIFA and Kisan Mela 2022 had a footfall of around 2000 participants including farmers, entrepreneurs, academicians, and students.