Winter School on Farm Machinery concludes at PAU

Ludhiana, February 22, 2024: As many as 18 agricultural engineers attended the Winter School on “Farm Machinery and Power Engineering” that concluded at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), today.

At the valedictory ceremony, Dr Seema Jaggi, Additional Director General, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, in her message, lauded the remarkable contribution of PAU to the research and development of farm machinery, and said that this would address the issues concerning crop residue management in Punjab at the earliest.

Dr Manjeet Singh, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, who was the chief guest, observed that the stubble burning issue could be tackled only with the help of agricultural technologies. The present times called for adopting subtle ways of boosting agricultural production, he stressed, while urging the participants to use the gained knowledge in their institutions for agri-diversification and sustainability.

The Additional Director of Research (Farm Mechanization and Bioenery) Dr GS Manes shed light on the all-out efforts being made by the PAU to curb paddy straw burning menace.

Dr MK Narang, Head, Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, informed that the trainees were imparted training via hands-on-demonstration, lectures and exposure visits. The training underlined the need for protecting environment at every cost through the adoption of recommended in-situ and ex-situ management technologies, he said.

Dr Harminder Singh Sidhu, an expert of farm machinery, also made a call for averting air pollution crisis by opting for PAU recommended crop residue management technologies.

Experts Dr Shamita, Dr Raiz Malik and Dr Rupinder Chandel from Maharashtra, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu; and PAU, Ludhiana also shared their views.

Dr Arshdeep Sanghera, Coordinator, proposed a vote of thanks, while Dr Manpreet Singh, also one of the Coordinators, conducted the programme. Later, certificates were distributed among the participants.