IAUA Regional Meeting: ASPEE Group MD Kiranbhai Patel Talks About Agricultural Activities

Kiranbhai Patel, Jt. MD, ASPEE Group of Companies, was invited as a guest of honour to the 9th Regional Meeting of Vice-Chancellors of the Indian Agricultural Universities Association (IAUA) at Navsari Agricultural University. The meeting's theme was "NEP-2020: Importance and Feasibility of Short Term and Certified Courses in Agricultural Universities."

During the inaugural ceremony, the dignitaries released a document titled 'PARIVARTAN-Change for Development,' which contained the 'key initiatives taken by Dr Z. P. Patel as Vice Chancellor for the transformation of the university into a knowledge power centre.' The latest issue of NAU's 'Spectrum- A quarterly news bulletin' was also released. As a Guest of Honour, Kiranbhai Patel, Jt. MD, ASPEE Group of Companies, Mumbai, expressed his appreciation for his long association with NAU. He introduced the ASPEE Agricultural Research and Development Foundation and highlighted the foundation's various activities.

Kiran Patel proposed that agriculture universities introduce some short-term courses to improve the English language of students coming from vernacular languages, as well as tress more on practical knowledge in agriculture by having students cultivate some crops on a small piece of land at universities and also sending them to stay with progressive farmers and learn more about cultivation. Patel's suggestion was well received by the participants.

Kailash Choudhary, who opened the meeting virtually, proposed a futuristic approach to agricultural education. "India has a share of only 1% in the total number of students enrolled in agricultural education globally, and 27% in higher education in all disciplines in India," he said. By 2033, these percentages are expected to rise to 9% and 50%, respectively."

The inaugural ceremony was graced by the virtual presence of Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, GoI, as Chief Guest; Dr Z. P. Patel, Vice-Chancellor, NAU Navsari, as President; Kiranbhai Patel, Jt. MD, ASPEE Group of Companies, Mumbai, and Dr Kishorsinh Chavda, Vice-Chancellor, VNSGU, Surat, as Guests of Honor. Special guests included Dr Rameshwar Singh, President of IAUA and Vice-Chancellor of BASU, Patna, and Dr Dinesh Kumar, Executive Secretary of IAUA.

The meeting was attended by delegates from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Dr. Z. P. Patel welcomed all dignitaries and demonstrated NAU agricultural technologies such as novel bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, fruit fly traps, banana pseudo stems, and so on.

ASPEE, or American Spring & Pressing Works Pvt. Ltd., was founded in 1946 by the astute businessman Lallubhai Makanji Patel. In an agrarian country like India, he recognized the importance of plant protection, which led to the establishment of ASPEE. The Aspee Group of Enterprises grew from a small workshop into a factory, becoming one of the largest businesses in the sector with over 500 employees.

ASPEE's cutting-edge products include battery sprayers, mechanised farm equipment, Knapsack power sprayers, portable power sprayers, agricultural mistbowlers & dusters, ULV sprayers, fogging machines, and so on. The company also manufactures spraying equipment such as nozzles, spray guns, telescopic lances, spray booms, and spray rigs for a variety of applications. The satisfaction of farmers is the guiding philosophy of ASPEE.