In a move aimed at providing farmers with expert technical advice on crop diseases, pests, weeds and other agricultural problems under one roof, Punjab’s first Plant Health Clinic and Farmer Advisory and Training Centre, built at a cost of around Rs 30 lakh, was formally inaugurated on Thursday by Punjab Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.Khuddian greeted people on the occasion of the Agman Purb of Baba Sheikh Farid and urged them to adopt his eternal teachings in their lives.Inaugurating the clinic, the Cabinet minister said it had been set up under the RKVY scheme, in line with the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the efforts of the Agriculture Department, as part of a plan to establish similar Plant Health Clinics in different districts of Punjab.The clinic was prepared under the initiative of Dr Gurjit Singh Brar, Director, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Department, Punjab, and Dr Karanjit Singh Gill, Joint Director, Extension and Training, Punjab, under the leadership of Dr Gurpreet Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Faridkot, and Dr Avinindar Pal Singh, District Training Officer, Faridkot.Officials said the clinic would enable farmers in Faridkot district to get expert advice locally for testing and examination of crop diseases, pests, weeds and other farming problems, with specialists from various disciplines in the Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Department providing technical guidance suited to the condition of their crops.This, they said, would help farmers use fertilisers, pesticides and weedicides in a timely and scientific manner as per requirement, thereby reducing the use of unnecessary farm inputs, cutting cultivation costs and bringing financial benefit to farmers.Officials added that the clinic would, in future, also impart technical training on modern farming techniques, allied agricultural enterprises, low-cost, high-profit crops and other related subjects, helping farmers adopt new techniques and increase their income. They said the Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, was also working extensively on stubble management by providing machines to farmers on subsidy.Minister said the clinic would ensure farmers in the district get technical advice and training on crop diseases, pests, weeds and other farming issues locally, helping them adopt scientific farming techniques and cut costs.