Farmers advised against sowing hybrid rice in Ludhiana

The vice chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Satbir Gosal, met with farmers at the Kisan Mela in Ludhiana. He advised them against growing hybrid rice. Instead, he encouraged them to keep and use seeds from university-developed rice varieties. Gosal addressed concerns about pesticide residues in basmati rice. He suggested using Trichoderma for cleaner farming practices. He also recommended diversifying crops by including local cotton varieties. During his speech, he mentioned PAU's expanding global influence and noted that the Mela is now streamed online. Ajmer Singh Dhatt, a senior PAU administrator, introduced new recommendations for kharif crops. He highlighted several new crop varieties, such as PR 132 for paddy and PMH 17 for maize. Dhatt pointed out that PAU has released 971 crop varieties aimed at improving productivity and farmer profits. Rajbir Singh Brar, from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, praised PAU's approach to engaging farmers through Kisan Melas. He stressed the importance of such events for advancing agriculture in India. Brar also called for campaigns focused on water conservation and the use of PAU-certified seeds. Sukhpal Singh, chairman of the Punjab state farmers' commission, shared his views on PAU. He referred to the university as a training ground for agricultural scientists. Singh also discussed the state's farm policies, which aim to support struggling farmers and promote cooperation in agriculture.