Ludhiana: Aquariums, goats, and gourmet meats: Experts at the Pashu Palan Mela signal a new era of diverse income streams for rural youth and women.The annual event concluded at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Gadvasu) this week with a clear mandate: elevating local livestock farming to international benchmarks through scientific modernisation and value-added processing. Under the theme “Local Strength to Global Standards,” the two-day summit brought together policy leaders and researchers to advocate for a transition from traditional subsistence farming to high-yield, commercial enterprises.M L Jat, director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), praised the university’s veterinary infrastructure as a cornerstone of national food security. He reaffirmed ICAR’s commitment to supporting institutional research that bridges the gap between grassroots farming and the broader economy. Vice-chancellor Jatinder Pal Singh Gill said: “We perform 10 to 15 surgeries daily and treat hundreds of animals, which reflects the livestock community’s immense trust in our research-driven solutions.“Key strategic priorities identified during the summit include breed improvement (intensive research to enhance the genetic quality of local herds for better milk and meat yields), value addition (moving beyond raw commodities to processed goods such as flavoured milk, cheeses, and meat delicacies to increase profit margins), and youth and women’s empowerment (promotion of “micro-enterprises” including ornamental fish rearing and aquarium making, suitable for managing alongside household responsibilities).Punjab Mandi Board chairman Harcharan Singh Barsat urged farmers to lead the fight against milk adulteration to protect the sector’s reputation. Ravinder Singh Grewal, director of extension education, emphasised that goat and pig farming remained the most profitable avenues for young entrepreneurs, offering high returns on relatively low initial investments.
