SRINAGAR: Director Agriculture Kashmir, Altaf Aijaz Andrabi today visited village Zawoora block Khonmoh to inspect Mushroom Village established by the District Administration Srinagar and Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare Department under Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana 2020 (PMKKKY-2020) for mining affected areas.
The Director said that such villages are being established to provide dignified livelihood to the people living in mining affected areas and added that the department is committed in devising a composite strategy for the development and promotion of the mushroom sector to ensure their long term sustainable livelihood.
While interacting with the farmers of the village Andrabi said mushroom production has a huge potential to improve the socio economic status of small and marginal farmers and thus asked them to be in touch with the scientists and officers of the scheme so that they can develop their mushroom units on scientific lines to get healthy crops.
He said that mushroom production can not only contribute to the domestic consumption but it has commercial dimensions also.
Project Coordinator Mushroom, Farooq Ahmad Shah apprised the Director that there has been a substantially better production of the mushrooms during the year 2020-21, he emphasized educated unemployed youth of valley need to be roped in for taking up the mushroom cultivation for earning their livelihood.
During the visit, the Director was accompanied by Project Coordinator Mushroom Farooq Ahmad Shah, Chief Agriculture Officer Srinagar Mohammad Younis, Mushroom Specialists, Mushroom Development Officer Srinagar and other officers of the department.
