Sangrur, June 14- PAU-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sangrur, under the Directorate of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and ICAR-ATARI, Zone-1, Ludhiana, organized a five-day vocational training course on *“Preservation of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables”* the train a total of 27 farm women and rural youth of the district.
Dr. Mandeep Singh, Incharge, PAU-KVK Sangrur, inaugurated the training course and briefed the participants on the scope of fruit and vegetable preservation. He encouraged them to adopt food preservation not only as a practical household skill but also as a potential entrepreneurial activity. He also outlined various training and extension programmes offered by the KVK for empowering rural women.
Dr. Vitasta, Assistant Professor (Home Science), KVK Sangrur conducted theoretical and practical sessions on different preservation techniques to extend the shelf-life of seasonal produce. She highlighted the role of food preservation in ensuring year-round availability of essential micronutrients and its potential for income generation. Participants received hands-on training in preparing value-added products such as squashes, jams, pickles, chutneys, and sharbats.
Dr. Ravinder Kaur, Assistant Professor (Horticulture), emphasized kitchen gardening for nutritional security and motivated participants to grow diverse vegetables and fruits to improve family dietary diversity.
Progressive farm women Mrs. Rajinder Kaur of Kirat SHG and Mrs. Harpreet Kaur of Maan Kudrati Kheti Farm shared their experiences and practical tips on food processing. Their interaction inspired participants to adopt preservation techniques and explore entrepreneurship through value addition.
The training concluded with a recipe competition where participants displayed their skills by preparing various value-added products. PAU literature was also distributed to promote further learning.