Agriculture schemes reviewed by Principal Secretary APD
Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Sandeep Kumar Nayak chaired a high level meeting of officers of departments here in Agriculture Complex Lalmandi Srinagar today.
Director Agriculture Kashmir Altaf Aijaz Andrabi and Director Law Enforcement Susheel Sahaani, besides, Joint Director Agriculture (Extension/Inputs/Engineering) Mushroom Co-ordinator, Divisional level officers and Chief Agriculture Officers of Kashmir Division attended the meeting.
Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department while reviewing the progress on implementing of Centrally/State Sponsored Schemes impressed upon the officers to get strategic inputs from down blow and develop a monitoring and evaluation system to reach out maximum population to raise their economic standards.
He emphasise upon the officers for entrepreneurship development in Agriculture sector, like vegetable, potato & apiculture and asked the Chief Agriculture Officers for identification of entrepreneurs in their districts. He thrusted upon shift from inorganic to organic farming and also increasing of the production in vegetables. He also emphasises upon increasing the Seed replacement rate of paddy, maize, oilseeds, fodders to give boost to production.
He was informed by the Director Agriculture Kashmir, that physical targets for rejuvenation under saffron mission have been percolated down and identifying of beneficiaries is under progress.
Nayak urged upon the officers to reach out the growers to achieve 100% targets under the mission, as being the last year of completion of National Mission on Saffron. Principal Secretary reviewed the progress of Seed Multiplication Farm Padgampora/ Allowpora and other S.M. Farms and Potato Development Farms as well. Reviewing the progress of Vegetable development farms of the Valley Principal Secretary urged the officers for timely supply of high yielding vegetable seeds to the growers.
He urged upon the officers to make double efforts to submit their projects within stipulated time and implement the schemes more efficiently, so that there is an impact at ground level. He emphasised upon increasing the area and production of essential oil Lavender.
Director Agriculture Kashmir while giving the financial and physical achievements through power point presentation, informed the meeting that there is substantial increase in production in paddy, vegetables, maize and pulses and paddy has recorded the production of 848.04 thousand Metric tonnes and vegetables have recorded a production of 883 thousand Metric tonnes having a productivity of 62.5 qntls per hectare in paddy and 285 qntls per hectare in vegetables for the year 2016-17.
Director also informed that for the current year seed village programme of paddy K448 and other improved varieties has been laid at an area of 1609.51 hec. besides, 60511 Soil Health Cards have been issued and 85% coverage have been made under Kisan Credit Cards.
KV Correspondent
