13-man Nigerian farm research team visits PAU

Those present at the meet included PAU Registrar Dr R K Mahey,Director of Research S S Gosal,Director of Extension Education Dr M S Gill,Dean of College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAE&T) Dr PPS Lubana,Estate Officer-cum- Head of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering (FMPE) Dr J S Mahal,Additional Director (Communication) Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman and Deputy Director (Public Relations) Dr Ramandeep Jassal. The delegation members also visited COAE&T,wherein farm engineers apprised them of the farm mechanisation technologies and agri-machinery and equipment developed and evaluated by PAU and recommended to farmers.

Addressing the visiting team,Dr Dhillon said that India shares friendly and cordial relations with African countries,especially Nigeria. Stating that the technology available in India is more applicable to Nigeria,he expressed the hope that the duo would enter into collaboration for student-faculty exchange and research and training programmes. He suggested the establishment of a joint agri-institute and added that the two nations as well as their institutes would be the beneficiaries.

Dr Dhillon remarked,“When India started progressing in the farm sector during the 1960s,farm mechanisation was not that evident. It was PAU which provided the new agri-technologies and inputs to the nation,which were later on transferred to farmers and paved the way for the green revolution.”

Investment in agriculture is a road to eliminate poverty,he said,while briefing the delegation about the organisational set-up of PAU. In addition to Kisan Melas,the University has several mechanisms of technology transfer to farmers.