A two-day training course on “Operational Guidelines of Machinery for In-situ Management of Paddy Residue” was organized by the Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, PAU, in collaboration with Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ICAR-ATARI), Ludhiana. A total of 46 scientists from 23 Krishi Vigyan Kendras of Uttar Pradesh received the training, which was held under the centrally sponsored scheme “Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi.”

Dr Jaskaran Singh Mahal, Director of Extension Education, PAU, who was the chief guest, observed “The practice of crop residue burning in the Northern India has emerged as a major threat to the sustainability of agriculture in the region.” Highlighting the concept of in-situ residue management, he said the Central government scheme aims at putting an end to this practice by in-situ management of crop residue.

Er Manmohan Kalia, Joint Director Agriculture (Engineering), Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Punjab, shared his experience of convincing the farmers to adopt resource conservation technologies. He encouraged the participants to develop self-confidence through this training so as to build the same confidence in the field among farmers and other stakeholders.

Dr Rajbir Singh, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Ludhiana, highlighted the role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras at grassroot level in practicing and developing sustainable agricultural systems.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr Manjeet Singh, Head, Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, said the Combo technology of Super Straw Management System and Happy Seeder can prove to be a boon for residue management. The Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering is pioneer in developing machines for addressing the issue of residue management, he added.

Dr Gursahib Singh Manes, Senior Research Engineer and Former Head, proposed the vote of thanks, while, Dr M K Narang, Agricultural Engineer, coordinated the training programme.