ICAR honours PAU apiculture centre

LUDHIANA: The Apiculture Centre of Punjab Agricultural University has been adjudged as the ICAR’s Overall Best Centre of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Honey Bees and Pollinators among the 27 centers under the AICRP.
PAU authorities said that the award has been conferred upon by the ICAR that the plenary session of the ICAR’s Biennial Workshop of the AICRP on Honey Bees and Pollinators, held at YSP-UHF, Solan, on October 16, 2016.R.S. Gill, Head of the Department of Entomology, PAU, informed that the Apiculture team of the department including Jaspal Singh, Harminder Kaur and Amit Choudhary led by Pardeep Kumar Chhuneja attended the three days’ workshop at Solan from October 14-16, 2016 and presented three years progress of the centre.
He added that the honour was awarded by H.C. Sharma, Vice Chancellor of UHF, Solan. Vijay Singh Thakur, Former Vice Chancellor, UHF; R.C. Mishra, Former Project Coordinator and R.K. Thakur, Project Coordinator of the AICRP on Honey Bees and Pollinators were also present at the Plenary Session. Dr B.S. Dhillon, Vice Chancellor of the PAU congratulated R.S. Gill, the head of Entomology department and his Apiculture Team for bringing laurels to the University. R.K. Gumber, Director of Research, PAU and H.S. Dhaliwal, Dean, College of Agriculture, PAU also congratulated the Apiculture team.
Gumber shared that PAU is the pioneer in successful introduction, multiplication, and establishment of high honey yielding Italian honey bee in Punjab and has been instrumental in its spread throughout the country. He added that This bee species has brought commercialization and industrialization in beekeeping in the country. He further informed that Punjab is the leading state in beekeeping in the country with about 35,000 beekeepers producing about 15,000 metric tonnes of honey, which accounts for more than 39 per cent of the country’s apiary honey production. He lauded the Apicultural scientists of the University for their excellent research contributions.