The Department of Processing and Food Engineering (DPFE), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), 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), organized a one-day training programme on “Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Agro Processing for Better Livelihood.” The training programme was conducted under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) of ICAR-43 and catered to 25 SC/ST participants.
Dr MS Alam, Principal Scientist and Project In-Charge of AICRP on PHET, presented an expert lecture on small-scale agro-based enterprises for durables, turmeric and honey generation, highlighting the role of micro-enterprises in strengthening rural livelihoods.
Dr Rohit Sharma, Scientist, elaborated on farm-level processing of spices for enhanced economic returns, while Dr Manpreet Kaur Saini, Entomologist, provided a comprehensive session on appropriate scientific storage of food grains and pulses for good returns.
Dr Gagandeep Kaur Nagra, Food Microbiologist, addressed the participants on production and processing of mushroom for remunerative business, emphasizing the expanding market potential of mushroom-based products.
Dr Surekha, Principal Biochemist, discussed quality testing tips on jaggery production and processing, suitable for adoption at the village level, for enhanced returns. Participants were also provided a practical demonstration of small-scale post-harvest machinery, enabling them to observe the operation and utility of equipment relevant to rural processing units. A demonstration of small scale post-harvest machinery viz. small attachakki, small oil expelling machinery, vacuum packaging and rice dehusker and polisher was also given, thereby imparting hand-on practical skills to all the participants.
Dr TC Mittal, Head, Department of Processing and Food Engineering, congratulated the participants on successfully completing the training and reaffirmed the department’s commitment to enhancing livelihood opportunities for farmers and rural youth through accessible and innovative agro-processing technologies.
The programme concluded with the distribution of food processing kits, and PAU pulse storage kit and training material. The training underscored PAU’s continued dedication to empowering scheduled caste communities through skill development, entrepreneurship promotion, and improved access to value-added agro-processing machinery and technologies.