Pashu Palan Mela of Guru Angad Dev Veterinay & Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana concluded with message to develop livestock farming as an impressive and effective option of diversification. Dr. A.K.Sikka, Deputy Director General, ICAR was today’s chief guest. Dr. B.S. Dhillon VC, PAU also visited mela with Dr Sikka. Mela attracted a huge gathering with a thought to develop livestock professions on modern terms.
Whereas Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University is contributing in the field of education and research it is also promoting livestock professions with its extension activities. To develop livestock professions, University is extending its services, support, know how & training to every economic category. Besides delivering services to commercial farmers it is also disseminating all the techniques to medium and lower category of livestock community to provide equal opportunities to farmers. It helps them to earn benefits with their limited resources. These views were expressed by Dr. V.K. Taneja Vice Chancellor GADVASU. He said that farmers should come forward to establish their self help group as entrepreneur.
Dr. Ranjodhan Singh Sahota, Director of Extension Education said that some of our departments are providing services for rearing livestock where as others are in the field of value addition of livestock products. These professions help them to earn a handsome income. Women can do these professions comfortably with their household responsibilities. He revealed that ornamentals fish, Aquarium making, flavoured Milk & Lassi, Cheese, Meat Pickle, Meat Kofta, Meat patties, Meat balls and a number of fish delicacies come in these professions. He said that Young entrepreneur can earn good returns in goat & pig farming. In this mela college of dairy science and technology displayed about 30 value added products of milk. From them more than one dozen products were available for sale. Department of Livestock Products and Technology displayed about 40 value added products of different types of meat and eggs. 10 products of this department were on sale for general public. College of fisheries displayed 10 value added products of fish meat. Two of them were on sale. There was great response to these stalls. Farmers were highly enthusiastic to be trained for the development of milk and meat products and the departments have assured to provide them literature and training on their requirement.
Dr. Sahota revealed that a large number of farmers visited the stalls and showed keen interest in the measures to be adopted for the control of parasitic diseases of livestock. The department of Animal Nutrition has developed number of nutritional technologies for the dairy animals of the state, which were displayed in the Pashu palan mela. Good quality mineral mixture and uromin lick prepared in GADVASU were sold at economical price.
Department of clinical Veterinary Medicine addressed the commonly prevalent disease of the dairy animals of Punjab which are mastitis, mineral disorders, foot lameness and fore-stomach disorders. The college of fisheries displayed different varieties of fish like carp fish, cat fish, ornamental fishes and ducks. The experts are working on high value fish species without bone or lesser bone.
A number of farmers said that Pashu Palan Mela is a good platform to meet the experts of different animal husbandry departments of state, scientists of university, technical experts of different companies and financial institutions collectively. University publications entitled Dairy Farming, Package of Practices, University Diary and Calendar. Farmers registered their name for monthly magazine.
The Judgement committee of university adjudged all the stalls and declared UPL Advanta, first, Virbac Animal Health, second, Paras Nutrition Private Limited third and Consolation Prize to Jagmohan Industries.
The Pashu Palan Mela concluded with a new hope to develop livestock farming with scientific measures.
