Three Day Annual Review Meeting Of AICRP On Farm Implements And Machinery Kick Starts At PAU

Ludhiana, January 28, 2016: The Annual Review Meeting of AICRP that provides a platform for interaction among researchers, tractor and farm machinery manufacturers and policy makers started in PAU Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, today. PAU Vice Chancellor, Dr.B.S.Dhillon was the Chief Guest at the inaugural function while Dr.Diwakar Durairaj (Dean Agril.Engg., College and Research Institute, TNAU) and Dr.S.R.Verma (former Dean, COAE&T) were the guest of honour. Dr.Dhillon while speaking during the occasion highlighted that highly labour intensive operations like rice transplanting, sugarcane and cotton harvesting and orchards paying can be performed by using machines operated on custom hiring basis. He suggested that urgent steps to promote agro-service providers through farmers cooperatives, custom hiring centres, machinery banks should be encouraged so that benefits of farm mechanization reach the marginal farmers. The Vice Chancellor while giving credit to agri-engineers for their contribution towards agriculture remarked that the green revolution would not have been possible without the invention of the thresher. He focused on the need for commitment in the area of specialization on the part of researchers and highlighted the need for innovative thinking.

 

Dr. K. Alagusundaram, Deputy Director General (Engg.), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) advised that machinery using latest technologies must be developed and popularized for making agriculture cost effective, more profitable and environment friendly. He also stressed on the role of agricultural engineers towards automation in agriculture.

 

Dr. K. K. Singh, Assistant Director General (Farm Engg.), ICAR, and also the Co-Chairman at the function emphasized on mechanization of diversified crops like sugarcane, cotton, maize, oilseed and pulses. He also said that attention should be paid towards standardization of machinery parts, quality control and reliability of agricultural machinery.

 

Project Coordinator of AICRP on FIM Dr. C. R. Mehta informed that this AICRP is one of the biggest project funded by ICAR, with 25 centres across the country. He also presented the salient achievements of the different centres during the last two years.

 

“Although the PAU has well established linkages with industries but still there is a need to bridge the gap for developing farm technology suitable to Indian farming”, remarked Dr. J. S. Mahal, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology.

 

An exhibition on farm implements from PAU and manufacturers of agricultural implements was also put up at the venue.