Chandigarh: Punjab won the second prize in the India International Trade Fair-2007 (IITF-2007) organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi that concluded on Tuesday. The first and third prizes in IITF-2007 have gone to Kerala and Assam respectively, said a spokesman of Punjab government. The theme of IITF-2007 was ‘‘agro-industries and processed food’’ which is close to the hearts of Punjabis, the state being popular as food basket of the country and also having made rapid strides in food processing in the recent past. The Punjab pavilion’s entry depicted the galloping progress made by the state in agriculture with a panoramic view of vast sprawling fields on one hand and of multifarious achievements of the state in agro-processing on the other. Wheat straw and simulated model of ‘‘milk flowing in Punjab— the land of abundance’’ was depicted. And this graphic depiction blended with exotic landscaping appropriately mirrored the theme this year which perhaps impressed the jury for the second prize to be awarded to the state from among 35 states and union territories participating in the fair. Punjab also showcased the initiative of Punjab Energy Development Authority (PEDA) in the field of non-conventional sources of energy extensively used in agriculture followed by major initiatives in crop diversification. The council of citrus and agri-juicing displayed a model of Jalllowal nursery which has plants of various varieties and root stocks. The animal husbandry department focused on promoting Sahiwal breed which is more adaptable to Indian climate. Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) displayed advances in biotechnology and a new concept of net-house vegetables grown for healthy, pesticide-free crops and conservation technologies for saving water for paddy fields. The initiative of Punjab government on Bathinda refinery was depicted through a model.