The Department of Processing and Food Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organized a one-day Entrepreneurship Development Programme on “Agro-Processing for Better Livelihood” for the scheduled caste beneficiaries under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP). The programme, held under the aegis of All India Coordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (AICRP-PHET), was conducted in collaboration with the Skill Development Centre at PAU.
The training programme witnessed the active participation of around 25 trainees from villages including Doraha, Pandori Mahel Kalan, Partappura, Haibowal, Malakpur, and Mullanpur, reflecting strong grassroots interest in agro-processing-based entrepreneurship.
Dr MS Alam, Principal Scientist and Scheme In-charge, AICRP-PHET, PAU, inaugurated the programme by orienting participants to the course objectives. He emphasized the pivotal role of agro-processing complexes in enhancing produce quality, minimizing post-harvest losses, generating rural employment, and supporting agricultural diversification. Highlighting processing and packaging of durables, spices, and honey, Dr Alam underscored these as promising ventures for improving the economic and social status of farmers and rural entrepreneurs.
Dr Manpreet Kaur Saini, Senior Entomologist, delivered an insightful session on household-level grain storage, demonstrating the PAU Protection Kit for stored pulses. She sensitized the participants to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices through live insect specimens and damaged grain samples, creating strong awareness about scientific storage solutions.
Dr Sandhya, Principal Scientist, stressed the importance of farm-level processing and familiarized trainees with various processing machineries for food grains.
Dr Rohit Sharma, Senior Scientist, delivered an interactive lecture on farm-level jaggery production, explaining the associated machinery, while Dr Gagandeep Kaur, Microbiologist, provided hands-on demonstration on jaggery production techniques. Adding further value, Dr Surekha Bhatia, Principal Biochemist, sensitized participants about quality testing and assurance during jaggery processing.
The programme also featured live demonstrations of small-scale post-harvest machinery and practical exposure to village-level processing equipment, enabling participants to gain real-world skills for setting up micro-enterprises. On the occasion, PAU literature, PAU Protection Kits (Stored Pulses), and Agro-Processing Kits were distributed free of cost to the trainees.
The registration and logistical arrangements were efficiently managed by Mr Kamaljeet Singh, with assistance from Sh Ravi Kumar.
Dr TC Mittal, Head, Department of Processing and Food Engineering, lauded the enthusiasm of the participants and appreciated the dedicated efforts of Dr Alam and his team. He reaffirmed PAU’s strong commitment to inclusive growth, stating that such initiatives played a crucial role in empowering scheduled caste communities through skill development, technology dissemination, and entrepreneurship in agro-processing.