To promote diversification in agriculture, Punjab Agro procures Ploeger Machine

Ludhiana, March 13, 2015: For promoting diversification in the field of agriculture, the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation has procured a special machine which would help in plucking and hulling of peas. This "Ploeger Machine" has been procured from Holland and it would help the farmers involved in cultivation of peas as it would automatically hull and pluck the peas the same way a harvester combine does in wheat.

This Ploeger Machine was put on display in front of pea farmers from across the state at Ladhowal Agro Farms, near here. Punjab Agro Industries Corporation chairman and former MP Amrik Singh Aliwal was also present on the occasion.

Amrik Singh Aliwal informed that at the national level 40 Lacs MT of Green Peas was produced mainly in Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan out of which, only 10% was processed, with annual production of around 1.25 lac MT of Frozen Green Peas. Likewise, Pea was the most popular crop of Punjab and in the year 2012-13 Green Peas were grown on 20,326 hectares across the state with production of 2,08,171 MT. Out of this only 10-15% was processed by Frozen Vegetables Processing Plants located in the state.

Aliwal said that due to the manual picking of Green Peas farmers faced huge problems in organising semi-skilled women labour, which not only increases the cost of Green Peas but also restricts adequate quantity supplies to the processing industry. Owing to this more than 50-60% demand of Green Peas Processing Industry was met through procurement from the adjoining States like Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand.

He said that is why this machine was specially procured from Holland with a thrust to promote food processing industry on one hand and diversification of agriculture in the state on the other.

Aliwal said that this machine would not only curtail the labour cost but also enhance the value addition as the peas plucked through this machine would be 100% utilized for processing. He said that this effort of the state government would help the farmers and processors to enhance area under peas and also result in diversification in agriculture.

Amrik Singh Aliwal informed that this machine can pluck and hull green peas from 15 acres of land daily. He said the cost for plucking and hulling one kilo of green peas would be less than 50 paisa, that is very economical. He informed that this is the first of its kind machine in entire South East Asia and in Asia, this machine is available only in Turkmenistan. He appealed to the farmers of Punjab to adopt farming of green peas.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Punjab Agro Industries Corporation ex chairman J S Ghungrana, general manager Pardeep Sharma, Housefed Director Yadwinder Singh Aliwal, District Manager Inderpreet Singh, besides several others.