Tata Trust increases fiscal support to Punjab agriculture

Ludhiana, June 29 (UNI) The Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) has extended its financial support to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and State Department of Agriculture for the development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) modules for rice, maize and vegetable crops. The Trust decided to extend this support after the success of the IPM programme launched in the cotton belt of the state in 2002 under the Revival of Green Revolution(RGR) programme.

Apart from the grant of over a dozen projects to PAU for RGR, the SRTT along with AVRDC, Taiwan has initiated an ambitious project worth Rs 5 crore for designing state-of-the-art and economical net-house design, alternate vegetable crop sequences and matching production technology for the year-round cultivation of vegetable crops and establishment of nutrition home gardens.

The recently established RGR Cell of the Trust, according to its Executive Director, Dr G S Chahal has now further identified innovative projects to improve the economy of small and marginal farmers. The Project Approval Committee of the RGR Cell which met on this month has approved four new projects to the PAU to seek solution to critical issues like labour, water and profitable marketing.

In light of serious labour problem in paddy transplantation, the RGR Cell has funded PAU for farmers' participatory exploratory project on direct seeded rice.

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