Horticulture deptt hosts farmers’ awareness cum interaction programme in Khour

Jammu : The Department of Horticulture Jammu is regularly organizing awareness camps to educate the farming community about the plantation of fruit crops in the rainy season.In this series, the Department on Tuesday hosted farmers’ awareness cum interaction programme at Panchayat Pahariwala of Khour block here under the chairmanship of the Director Horticulture Jammu Ram Savak, Chief Horticulture Officer Jammu S.Sarbjeet Singh, DLSMS, Sandeep Gupta, HDO Khour, Amit Saraf, besides a large number of farmers including women, sarpanch & PRI members of the area participated in the awareness camp.

Addressing the gathering of farmers, fruit growers, the Director stressed the need to encourage High Density Plantation in the area. He said that the rainy season is very suitable for new plantations, especially in the kandi area. He asked the farmers to adopt a cluster approach to establish new orchards. “The department is providing every possible assistance to the farmers and they should take the benefits of all the centrally and UT sponsored schemes of the department” he said.

The Director deliberated on Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, (AIF) which aims at providing a financing facility through interest subvention and credit guarantee support on loans for creation of post harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets. He asked them to form Self Help Groups (SHGs), associate with horticulture department and the department will help them in setting up of Micro Food Processing units under the PMFME scheme, a landmark initiative of Aatmannirbhar Bharat Abhiyan for the value addition of fruit products which will not only create employment opportunities, but also make the farmers self reliant by enhancing the family income.

Further, he urged farmers to adopt integrated farming in their fields and avail the benefits on different components viz: Bore Well, water harvesting tanks, Drip irrigation, Mechanization, protected cultivation, tools & implements etc. for upliftment of their socio- economic status.Earlier, the Chief Horticulture Officer Jammu S. Sarbjeet Singh impressed upon farmers to go for compact plantation comprising minimum 4 beneficiaries possessing 200 kanal area, which will entitle them for free of cost irrigation source like community bore well for the plantation.

He further urged them to establish Custom Hiring Centres/ Farm Machinery Banks for which the department is providing 40% to 80% subsidy as these will ultimately generate employment opportunities for the youth.DLSMS (Pomology), Sandeep Gupta elaborated in detail about the various schemes of the department in vogue.After persuasion by the officers of the department, on spot enrollment of the farmers for new plantation over an area of 10 Ha, one custom hiring centre and for one tractor was achieved.HDO Khour, Amit Saraf carried out the proceedings of the programme.