District-level Farmers’ Training Camp held in Ferozepur ahead of Rabi season
Ferozepur, October 1, 2026: The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Ferozepur, organised a district-level farmers’ training camp on Rabi crop cultivation at Dana Mandi, Ferozepur Cantonment, with the objective of promoting judicious use of agricultural inputs and proper management of crop residue to protect the environment.
The camp was organised under the guidance of Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Balwinder Singh. Ferozepur (Urban) MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar, Guruharsahai MLA Fauja Singh Sarari and Zira MLA Naresh Kataria attended the camp as chief guests. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Krishna Pal Rajput was also present.
Addressing more than 1,000 farmers who attended the camp from different blocks of the district, MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar emphasised the need to protect soil, water and air, describing them as invaluable gifts of nature. He also stressed the effective implementation of government schemes aimed at benefiting farmers. Progressive farmers of the district were honoured on the occasion.
ADC (Development) Krishna Pal Rajput urged farmers to take maximum benefit of various government schemes and activities. He assured them that the district administration would extend all possible support to the farming community. He also appealed to farmers to avoid burning paddy straw and instead incorporate it into the soil or make bales for proper utilisation.
Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Balwinder Singh, while speaking under the ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’, called upon farmers to use fertilisers and pesticides judiciously and contribute towards environmental protection. He said that the department was taking all necessary steps to ensure adequate availability of quality agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, during the Rabi season.
Dr Singh said that 10,000 metric tonnes of DAP was available in the district keeping in view the requirement of farmers for wheat sowing during the early season. Under quality control, the department had collected 79 fertiliser samples, of which two were found substandard. Four bio-fertiliser samples also failed the prescribed standards. Similarly, 88 pesticide samples were collected, with one failing, while 112 seed samples were collected under the Seed Act, of which seven failed. Necessary action was being taken against the failed samples, he added.
Under the Soil Health Card Scheme, around 5,000 soil samples had been collected from farmers’ fields. Their analysis was in progress and the results would be provided to the concerned farmers. A modern soil-testing laboratory equipped with an ICP facility had also been established at a cost of Rs 1.39 crore.
Dr Balwinder Singh further said that under the ATMA scheme, seven exposure visits, two Agriculture Scientist-Farmer interactions, six block-level farmers’ seminars, 24 block-level farm trainings and 35 demonstration plots had been organised in the district to provide technical training to farmers.
Under the Crop Residue Management Scheme, 804 agricultural machines worth Rs 11.91 crore had been provided to farmers on subsidy for the management of paddy straw and modernisation of farm machinery. In addition, 36 different types of machines worth Rs 58 lakh had been provided to farmers on subsidy under the SMAM scheme.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, a total of 1,37,625 beneficiaries in the district were receiving benefits. The Agriculture Department was also facilitating registration of new beneficiaries and verification of documents.
Engineer Jagdish Singh, Joint Director Agriculture (Engineering), who came from the department’s headquarters in Mohali to preside over the camp, briefed farmers about various ex-situ and in-situ crop residue management schemes being implemented for their welfare. He advised farmers to remain in contact with the concerned departmental staff to avail themselves of the benefits of these schemes.
Exhibitions set up by various departments and organisations, including the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Punjab Agricultural University, Forest Department, Horticulture Department, Milkfed, Markfed, IFFCO, KVK, Fisheries Department and others, remained a major attraction for farmers. Selected private companies also put up stalls showcasing agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, farm implements and machinery.
Agriculture experts, including Satinderpal Singh, Agriculture Engineer; Dr Amit Punj, Subject Matter Specialist; Savandeep Sharma, Project Director, ATMA; Rajesh Kumar, Statistical Officer; and experts from Punjab Agricultural University, provided technical information to farmers on crop cultivation, scientific marketing, preparation of Farmer IDs and proper management of crop residue.
At the end of the camp, Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Balwinder Singh thanked the guests, agricultural experts, officers and employees for their participation. He assured farmers that the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department would continue to work with dedication in their interest and urged them to remain in regular contact with departmental officials to avail themselves of various schemes.
Block Samiti Chairman Dilbag Singh Nanda, Kisan Wing District President Balraj Singh Katora, Himanshu Thakkar and Gurbhej Singh were also present.
Savandeep Sharma, Project Director (ATMA), Dr Jaswinder Singh, Dr Amit Punj, Dr Gurdeep Singh, Dr Neeraj Sharma, Dr Sheeshpal Godara, Dr Gurwant Singh, Dr Naveen Khanna, Dr Taranjit Singh, Dr Harkamal Singh, Akansha, Sunil Kumar, Karandeep and Ashok Kumar made special contributions towards organising the camp.