PAU to establish food industry business incubation centre at Abohar

The centre will impart training and provide incubation facilities to farmers as well as entrepreneurs in agro-processing and value addition

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will establish Food Industry Business Incubation Centre at Abohar in Punjab to impart training and provide incubation facilities to farmers as well as entrepreneurs in agro-processing and value addition. The development was disclosed by Dr Poonam A Sachdev, Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, during a live programme of PAU.

Dr Sachdev said, “Processed products hold a good value in the market and farmers and young entrepreneurs can earn 10-50 per cent profit, if they adopt it as a venture.” Many entrepreneurs, farmers and farm women are receiving training as well as availing incubational facilities at Food Industry Business Incubation Centre, at PAU, Ludhiana and Bathinda, she informed. The department has commercialised 38 technologies, such as bottling of sugarcane juice, multigrain flour, porridge, potato snacks, frozen peas, rollable chapatti, etc. she added. The department is also sharing technologies with Punjab Agro, Markfed and Sugarfed regarding sugarcane juice, Kinnow and guava blend, and Kinnow and mango blend, she noted.

Explaining the extension set up of PAU, Dr Kuldeep Singh, Head, Department of Extension Education, said the University transfers technologies through various extension modes like Kisan Melas, field days, workshops, adaptive research trials, on farm trials, demonstrations, specialized trainings (short, vocational and in-service), exhibitions, campaigns, technical guidance, sale of farm literature, TV/radio talks, social media, etc. Farmers can seek solutions to their agriculture related problems by consulting PAU experts, Ludhiana or experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendras, located in their nearby districts, he added.

Dr MS Bhullar, Head, Department of Agronomy, while discussing weed control in wheat, advised the farmers to follow PAU recommendations for the management of gulli danda in wheat.

Dr Paramjit Kaur, Assistant Entomologist, and Ravinder Bhalooria, mobiliser, Skill Development Centre, threw light on recommended varieties and production-protection technologies of various crops.