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MISPLACED CONCEPT
Does Punjab need a Horticulture varsity ?K S Chawla Does Punjab need a s e p a r a t e h o r t i c u l t u r a l university to p r o m o t e h o r t i c u l t u r e ? . Internationally renowned agricultural scientists of the caliber of Dr G S Khush, a renowned rice breeder of the world, Dr. B S Ahluwalia, who has served in the International Atomic Energy Authority Vienna (Austria) and FAO for more than thirty years, and the leading agricultural scientists of the country have outrightly rejected the idea of having a separate horticultural university in Punjab.
Dr G S Khush, a renowned rice breeder of the world, Dr. B S
Ahluwalia, who has served in the International Atomic Energy
Authority Vienna (Austria) and FAO for more than thirty
years, and the leading agricultural scientists of the country
have outrightly rejected the idea of having a separate
horticultural university in Punjab.
They have strongly opposed
any further cutting of any limb of
the Punjab Agricultural University
which has helped the country in
wiping out the food deficit of the
country. They maintain that the
Punjab Agricultural University has
not only made India surplus in
foodgrains, it has also led the
country in allied disciplines like
dairy development, bee-keeping and mushroom growth.
Dr. Khush and Dr. Ahluwalia, who are both alumni of PAU,
described the idea of having a
separate horticultural university
as foolish and emphasized that
there is need to strengthen the
research programmes of the PAU,
including the development of fruit
crops. Amarinder Singh As the Punjab farmers adopted the wheat-rice pattern of agriculture, they had bumper crops. But at the sametime, there was erosion of the natural resources like water. In view of this development, the scientists of the PAU also paid the desired attention to the development of horticulture and vegetables, pulses and oilseeds to diversify the agricultural pattern. Due to the efforts of the PAU scientists, the Punjab state has witnessed spurt in the production of fruits and vegetables. Both horticulture and vegetable departments were strengthened by the authorities. The idea of having a separate horticultural university in Punjab has beeen floated by a senior bureaucrat of the Punjab who is close to the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. This very bureaucrat had close proximity to the chief minister in his first term as chief minister in 2002-2007 and had set up a number of development councils like citriculture, vitriculture, Punjab agrojuice and organic farming. But none of these councils made much impact on the agricultural development or diversification of the cropping pattern. With the installation of the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab in 2007, these councils did not work well. The succeeding government allegedly found some irregularities and instituted enquiries into the functioning of these councils. Even prosecution was launched against some officers involved in these councils. One officer was even convicted. This bureaucrat managed to go scot free.
Navtej Bains
Surprisingly with the
installation of Captain Amarinder
Singh, this officer has again
appeared on the scene and
immediately presented a proposal to the chief minister for
the establishment of a separate
horticulture university within the
campus of Punjab Agricultural
University at Ludhiana which has
been vehemently opposed by the
faculty and staff of the PAU and
other leading scientists of the
state and country. According to PAU Director Research Dr. Navtej Bains, technology for the development of horticultural crops and vegetables is available and PAU is known for its contribution not only in India but at the international level. The agricultural scientists have even not approved of the Abohar venue of the new university. The establishment of the horticultural university would lead to duplication as PAU Ludhiana campus has three well laid out departments of horticulture, vegetables and floriculture which are looking after the research work. According to PAU Director Research Dr. Navtej Bains, technology for the development of horticultural crops and vegetables is available and PAU is known for its contribution not only in India but at the international level. It has given many new technologies in horticulture and best example is the development of less seeded kinnow (Punjab Kinnow lo) which is likely to have large impact as kinnow covers almost two third (about 50,000 hectare) in Punjab. Much needed diversification of kinnow has been achieved with the release of Daisy variety of mandarins whose fruit become available earlier than kinnow thus extending the fruit season. PAU provided more than three and a half lakh nursery plants for fruits season to the farmers during 2016-17. Similarly, more than 1000 quintals of vegetable seeds, about 75,000 kitchen garden kits, 12,000 quintals of potato seed was also provided during 2016- 2017. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable in nature and their wastage account for 15-30 per cent of the total production. There is need to have strong processing facilities and cold chambers for the preservation of the same. Dr. Bains says that PAU is responding to the challenges by The scientists are unable to understand why the state government is not responding to the Central Government for the establishment of such an prestigious institute in Punjab. developing new processing
technologies and their
commercialization through
MOUs. The Food Industry Centre
at PAU, Ludhiana and research
station Bathinda are proving a
useful conduit in processing
technology.
B S Dhillon
The scientists are unable to
understand why the state
government is not responding to
the Central Government for the
establishment of such an
prestigious institute in Punjab. |