‘Popularize success stories of progressive farmers,’ says Minister
Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura Wednesday called for making concrete efforts to boost organic farming in the State.
According to the statement, the Minister was speaking during one-day conference cum workshop on ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income in J&K by 2022 organized by Department of Agriculture at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Jammu in Chatha.
“The Minister stressed on implementing organic practices including vermi-compost production, use of organic inputs, farmyard manure and compost,” the statement said.
Calling upon the farmers to adopt organic farming, he said organic crops require less investment for cultivation but are much more profitable than conventionally grown crops.
The Minister stressed on the need for adopting cluster approach and developing model villages for Mushkbudji Rice, Basmati, Rajmash, Apiculture, Apple and other area specific crops.
Hanjura, the statement said, emphasized on the officers of the Department to replicate and popularize the success stories of the progressive farmers for transformation of agriculture sector in the State.
While reiterating government’s commitment of doubling farmers’ income, he directed the concerned officers to set annual targets and make strenuous efforts to achieve the same.
VC, SKUAST-J Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sharma, who was also present on the occasion, said that “there is a need to increase productivity at low cost of cultivation and providing better sale prices to the famers for their produce.”
Dr. Sharma stressed on developing a link with the progressive farmers of other states so that the local farmers come to know about the practices being adopted by them.
In the conference, Director, Agriculture Jammu Ashok Kumar Malhotra briefed the participants about the steps being taken by the Department for doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
Vice-Chairman, J&K State Advisory Board for Development of Kisans (SABDK) Daljit Singh Chib, Commissioner/Secretary, Agriculture Production Department Sanjeev Verma, Director, Agriculture Jammu Ashok Kumar Malhotra, Director, Extension SKUAST-J Dr. KS Risam, Director, Research SKUAST-J Dr. JP Sharma, Senior Scientist, Basmati Export Development Foundation, Modipuram Dr. Ritesh Sharma, officers of the department, faculty of SKUAST-J and progressive farmers also attended the conference.
KV Correspondent
