NewZNew (Chandigarh) : Making further strides to herald ‘Blue Revolution’ across the state, Punjab today inked three Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) with Jiangsu province of China to put the state on the fast track of agriculture diversification.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that these MoUs were signed amongst the officials of Ocean and Fisheries Bureau of Jiangu Su province, Punjab Government, Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) and Guru Angad Dev University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (GADVASU) in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, here at Punjab Bhawan, this afternoon.
In his keynote address, the Chief Minister apprised that Punjab had the highest fish productivity in the country as it produces 1.14 lakh ton of fish from capture and culture fisheries. He also informed that it had huge potential of fresh water fisheries especially in the southern districts of the state which still remained untapped and hoped that these MoUs would certainly help the state to script a new chapter to give much needed impetus for state’s ambitious program of agriculture diversification. He pointed out that strenuous efforts were afoot to bring nearly 1000 acre of saline and waterlogged area under fish farming during the current fiscal and the state government was already giving 90% subsidy for the development of inland fisheries through construction of ponds.
Likewise, the Chief Minister also evinced keen interest to forge technical and academic collaboration in varied fields of agriculture and its allied activities between both the states. He also sought mutual exchange of technical know-how and expertise between the state’s premier Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and the different institutes of Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS) in the area of food crops, industrial crops, horticulture, vegetable crops, agricultural resources & environment, plant production, bio-technology, food safety and monitoring technology, animal sciences and veterinary medicine.
The Chief Minister said that during his visit to Jiangsu province last year he was amazed to see the latest technologies and best practices in the fresh water fisheries, for which China was known world over. Mr. Badal said that during the visit he was highly impressed by the latest innovative and technological advancements adopted by their counterparts in China due to which they were getting a record production to 40 ton fish per hectare as compared to merely six ton per hectare in Punjab. He hoped that these MoUs would act as a catalyst to enhance the fish production in the state both qualitatively as well as quantitatively besides supplementing the income of farmers, which was almost stagnant due to negligible margins of profit from the conventional farming. Mr. Badal said, “Punjabi Fish farmers with wide horizon and experience can do miracles with their unbounded capacities and capabilities, provided they were supported by the novel technology and expertise”.
Amongst the three MoUs signed today the first was between the PAU and Jiangsu Academy of Agriculture Sciences to have collaboration in the areas of agriculture research particularly for developing cutting edge technologies. Second MoU was inked between GADVASU and Fresh Water Fisheries Research Centre Wuxi to boost overall development of fisheries sector both on production as well as processing side and the third was between Department of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development and Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries which would usher in a new era of cooperation in the field of agriculture and fisheries.
Later, expressing gratitude to the Punjab government especially the Chief Minister for giving them an opportunity to open new vistas of mutual cooperation in the fields of agriculture, fisheries and animal husbandry, Commissioner Ocean and Fisheries of Jiangsu province Mr. Tang Jian Ming said that these MoUs would help the Punjabi fish farmers to enhance their productivity through new technology of automation in agriculture besides learning the emerging technologies in fish processing to increase their profitability manifolds.
Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Cabinet Minister Mr. Gulzar Singh Ranike, Additional Chief Secretary Mr. Mandeep Singh Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. KJS Cheema, Advisor Fisheries Dr. Padma Kumar. Advisor Animal Husbandry Dr PK Uppal, Vice Chancellor PAU Dr. BS Dhillon, Vice Chancellor GADVASU Prof. AS Nanda, Director Animal Husbandry Dr HS Sandha and Director and Warden Fisheries Mr. Madan Mohan.
The Chinese delegation was represented by Deputy Commissioner Mr. Fei Zeiliang, Section Chief Mr. Yu Liang, Director Jiangsu Fishery Technology Extension Center Mr. Zhang Zhaohui and Director Jiangsu Freshwater Fishery Research Institute Mr. Xia Aijun.
