LUDHIANA: What started with only a couple of publications, keeping in mind the limited needs of a niche farming community of Punjab, has now diversified manifold and is making difference to the lives of countless people from various sections of the society.
Apart from farmers; people interested in setting up kitchen gardens in their houses, auxiliary agriculture like bee-keeping,fishery, mushroom growing and kinnow farming are interestingly gaining popularity with residents picking up the literature published by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
“I am quite interested in bee-keeping and started it as a business after reading the literature of PAU. It was very useful and now I am successfully exporting honey in various northern states of the country,” Madhur Gupta, 24, an entrepreneur and resident of BRS Nagar, told TOI.
Shardha Mehndi, a homemaker and resident of Sarabha Nagar, said, “You can find various all weather vegetables and cereals in my kitchen garden. I feel the exposure has given a new meaning to my hobby.”
Some of the most sought after literature by residents included, packages of practice for crops of Punjab (both Rabi and Kharif), progressive farming, crop calendar, agriculture handbook of Punjab and auxiliary agriculture occupation. “I started reading this literature to learn the basics of gardening. But it proved very fruitful and now I have a full-fledged kitchen garden with diverse plants in my courtyard. I am so proud of being able to convert my interest in gardening into a useful venture,” said Sukhman Dosanjh, another homemaker who resides at Sarabha Nagar.
Back at PAU, experts are also enthused with whopping response from different sections of society. “We are publishing the literature on a no-profit basis. Though our target audience is farmers, but its encouraging to know that people from diverse backgrounds like doctors, engineers, students and even homemakers are showing interest in them and buying them,” Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman, PAU’s additional director communication, said.
“Our literature is very credible as anything can go into it only after a thorough research of four to five years. Besides, we also keep updating at regular intervals,” stated Dhiman.
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