Punjab Agricultural University and Punjab & Sind Bank forge strategic alliance for agricultural innovation and sustainability

Ludhiana, August 17, 2023: As an endeavour to further strengthen the Punjab Agricultural University's service for the greater good of the farming community, high-level talks were held between the senior university officials and a team of representatives led by the Managing Director (MD), Swarup Kumar Saha, from the Punjab and Sind Bank. The meeting, chaired by the PAU Vice Chancellor, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, explored possible areas of collaboration between the two institutions to give further thrust to agricultural empowerment and facilitate the retention of the Punjabi youth in the agriculture sector.

Addressing the meeting, Dr Gosal explored the emotional connection of the farmers with PAU and Punjab and Sind Bank right from their inception; PAU, with its untiring research and extension outreach and the most popular bank in Punjab facilitating farmer-friendly operations. Dr Gosal identified strategic collaboration in the areas of agro-processing, skill development, agri-business, solar and bio-energy, organic farming and the usage of IOT and AI for developing a state-of-the-art model village in Punjab which would be a one-stop platform for farmers to draw ideas and build up on their farming techniques starting right from value addition, AI-based farming methods, integrated farming practices, post-harvest management etc., for more significant profit as well as sustainability. He further called for an in-depth evaluation of the project by teams from both institutions to complete it as soon as possible. "Demonstrating new technologies to the younger generation by demonstrating them in the model village will ensure their adoption and thus lead to agricultural prosperity", Dr Gosal emphasized.

Saha applauded the university's role in building the country's agricultural face and continuing to inspire farmers to adopt technology-based agri-innovations. While giving an overview of the history of Punjab and Sind Bank, Saha shared the bank's journey from a small public sector bank in Lahore to becoming one of the state's most trusted banks, having 600 out of a total of 1553 branches all over India. He expressed delight at the opportunity to collaborate with PAU to develop a model village for the social and economic upliftment of rural Punjab. He offered to join hands in augmenting the latest technology and development of a skilled workforce through social responsibility, which would also help accelerate PAU's objectives of agricultural innovation. Mr Ravi Mehra, the general manager, reiterated the bank's resolve to offer easy finance solutions across various fields for needy farmers. The team also expressed interest in developing research scholarships and establishing a Chair as a part of a collaboration with PAU.

Earlier, PAU Registrar, Dr MIS Gill, gave a brief about the academic structure of PAU. At the same time, the Director of Research, Dr AS Dhatt, shed light on the university's research mandate with a particular focus on cutting-edge research undertaken on the campus as well as the various KVKs, Regional Research Stations, Seed Farms and vegetable and fruit research stations of PAU, spread across multiple districts in the state. Dr GPS Sodhi, Directorate of Extension Education, explained the extension model of PAU, which is responsible for taking technology and timely scientific information to the farmer's doorstep.

The meeting ended with a formal vote of thanks by Dr Visal Bector, Associate Director, Institute Relations, PAU, who moderated the session.