The Department of Processing and Food Engineering (DPFE), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organized a one-day training programme on “Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Agro-Processing for Better Livelihood” under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) of ICAR-43. Hosted under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)–All India Coordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (AICRP on PHET), the programme saw the participation of 25 SC/ST beneficiaries.
Addressing the trainees, Dr TC Mittal, Head, Department of Processing and Food Engineering, said that the training programme reinforced PAU’s continued efforts toward empowering rural communities by enhancing their technical capabilities and fostering sustainable micro-enterprises in the agro-processing sector.
Dr MS Alam, Technical Coordinator of the programme and Project In-Charge AICRP-PHET, delivered an expert lecture on small-scale agro-based enterprises for durables, spices, and honey, highlighting viable income-generating avenues for rural youth and entrepreneurs.
Dr Rohit Sharma dwelt upon farm-level processing of food grains for maximum returns, emphasizing the importance of value addition and scientific handling.
An informative lecture by Dr Manpreet Kaur Saini focused on appropriate storage of food grains and pulses, with a thrust on minimizing post-harvest losses and ensuring long-term quality retention.
Dr Gagandeep Kaur Nagra delivered a detailed session on processing of mushroom for remunerative business, highlighting emerging opportunities and small-scale technologies suitable for rural enterprises.
Dr Surekha Bhatia shared practical insights on quality testing tips for jaggery production and processing, stressing the importance of setting quality standards for market competitiveness.
Participants were also provided a demonstration of small-scale post-harvest machinery, offering hands-on exposure to equipment useful for village-level processing units. The programme concluded with the distribution of kits and training material. Registration and logistical arrangements were efficiently coordinated by Mr Kamaljeet Singh, and assisted by Mr Ravi Kumar.