A two-day workshop on kharif crops for research and extension specialists kicked off at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Thursday, said officials,Speaking during the inaugural function, GS Brar, Director of Agriculture, Punjab, said: “Promote oilseeds and pulses among farmers in order to reduce reliance on foreign nations for oil supply and pulses.”On the first day, technical sessions were organised on rice, sugarcane, pulses and maize.An exhibition showcasing the newly recommended crop varieties and technologies was also put up. A publication on “Processing and Value Addition of Millets”, penned by RS Sohu and Ruchika Bhardawaj, was released during the workshop.Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, was the chief guest at the workshop organised by the Directorate of Extension Education, the officials said, and added that functionaries of the Department of Agriculture, associate and deputy directors of Krishi Vigyan Kendras and regional research stations, district extension specialists, senior officials, faculty and extension scientists of the PAU were in attendance at the event.Talking about ‘atmanirbhar Bharat’, Brar urged the attendees to promote oilseeds and pulses cultivation in the state. He said small nations, like Indonesia and Malaysia, are supplying oil worth Rs 400 crore and Rs 40,000 crore, respectively to India.According to Brar, pulses worth Rs 22,000 crore were being imported, with the highest share from Burma. Calling upon the researchers to develop suitable oilseeds and pulses varieties and production-protection technologies, Brar said that it was high time to be self-reliant in this sector.He pushed for cotton cultivation, precision agriculture, automation technologies and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered traps for insect and pest management.Advocating cotton growing, V-C Gosal appealed to the extension officials to promote ‘desi’ cotton as it could accelerate economy and help farmers reap rich dividends in the market.Voicing concern over early arrival of the heatwave, he called upon the scientists to gird up their lions to tackle the unexpected attack of new insect-pests and diseases. Gosal called upon the field-level functionaries to popularise the cultivation of kharif maize, cotton, methi and oilseeds, and integrated nutrient management in crops. He stressed the need for developing new breeds to combat climate concerns and make a shift from agriculture to agro-processing and agri-business for farm economy augmentation.Highlighting new developments, AS Dhatt, Director of Research, put a spotlight on the salient characteristics of the newly developed varieties comprising of paddy and cotton, which are subject to the approval of the State Varietal Approval Committee. Referring to production-protection technologies, Dhatt elaborated on the development of prudent technologies for application in crops like wheat, paddy, summer moong, soybean, cotton and sugarcane, among others.Earlier in welcome remarks, MS Bhullar, Director of Extension Education, made a call for promoting integrated farming systems and setting up of agro-processing units in the state for augmentation of fiscal benefits to the farmers. He said feedback from the extension functionaries was vital for resolving farmers’ issues.