Amity Centre for Agricultural Extension Services (ACAES) organized a Farmer’s Training Programme on “Production and Protection Technology on Wheat & Mustard” at Amity University, Noida on 28th March, 2019. The objective of the programme was to acquaint the farmers with modern techniques that they can use to increase the productivity of their crops as well as boost their incomes.
About 45 farmers’ beneficiaries from different villages of Ghaziabad and Gautam Budhnagar district, Govt. Officials and Amity Scientists participated in the event. The Director from ICAR-IIW&BR, Karnal and scientists from DRMR, Bhartpur and representative from ICAR also participated in the programme.
Dr. N.P Singh, Director, Amity Centre for Agriculture Extension Services (ACAES) apprised about the Front-Line Demonstration (FLD) programme which was launched for the welfare of the farmers and its outcome. He notified about the technological innovations which Amity University has developed over the years in the field of agriculture. Dr. Singh beckoned the farmers to not only raise the production of mustard and wheat but also take care of their nutritional value. He called upon the farmers to buy such crops like mustard which are good in terms of return on investment and has less requirement for irrigation. He also encouraged the farmers to practice crop rotation so that the minerals present in the soil remain intact.
Addressing the farmers, Dr. W. Selvamurthy, President, Amity Science, Technology and Innovation Foundation said that “your visit is extremely crucial for Amity University because you are the ones who provide bread and butter to the country.” He said that we want to integrate our farmers’ knowledge of agriculture with technology in order to reap maximum benefits to the farmers at lower costs. He averred that if scientists and farmers work in close proximity with co-ordination, we can achieve unprecedented results in crop production at frugal rates.
Dr. Ravish, Principal Scientist, ICAR-IIW&BR, Karnal apprised about the new high-yielding varieties of wheat such as DBW-173 and DBW-187 which farmers can use to increase their production. He expressed that to achieve optimum results, farmers must keep three things in mind - Good variety of seed, Timely irrigation and supplying fertilizers to the soil at regular intervals. He also exclaimed that farmers should not make excessive use of insecticides and pesticides as it could damage the crop. He suggested the farmers to practice Inter-Cropping to sustain the quality of the soil.
Dr. Arun Kumar, Principal Scientist, ICAR-DRMR, Bhartpur elaborated the farmers about the benefits of cultivating mustard. He apprised that mustard seeds are available at cheaper rates and consume less water, which make it a popular crop in Rajasthan where water is scarce. He informed that Mustard gives good harvest even on barren land, so the farmers must start making regular use of it.
Farmers were provided with new varieties of wheat seeds to increase their produce. A technical session was also held in which the farmers discussed their problems with the scientists. The scientists and the farmers also had interactive sessions on Advance production technology on wheat, Nutrient management on wheat, and Role and importance of FLD programme.