Jammu: The central government has sanctioned establishment of three common incubation facility centres worth Rs 7.81 crore in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior government officer said on Tuesday.
The centres would be set up at Anantnag and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley and in Jammu, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Navin Kumar Choudhary said.
He termed these units as milestones towards processing and marketing of agri-business in the union territory.
Choudhary said the first incubation facility centre would be established in Anantnag with an estimated cost of Rs 2.70 crore which will have focus on processing fish and fishery-based products.
“The centre will aim for a manifold increase in production of fish, processing, packaging and export to different parts of the country as well as abroad,” he said.
Choudhary said the second centre would be established at Narwal in Jammu with an estimated cost of Rs 2.68 crore for processing of dairy products.
“The government is according focused consideration on increasing milk production and Jammu and Kashmir is likely to be transformed into milk surplus territory,” he said.
The official said the focus of this facility would be to promote value addition by way of producing milk-based products like butter, cheese, ghee, chocolate and packaging and marketing of the products on scientific lines.
“J&K will soon turn into one of the important destinations of milk-based products,” he said.
Choudhary said the third incubation facility centre would be established in Baramulla for processing of apples and other fruits and vegetables.
“This will give a new dimension to processing, packaging of fruits and vegetables of international standard and consequently better marketing and income to the growers,” he said
The officer said the Horticulture department is already implementing an ambitious scheme of high density plantation and establishment of large scale CA stores.
Choudhary said one more proposal of establishment of the incubation centre at Ramban in Jammu is likely to be considered by the central government shortly.
“This proposed centre will focus on olive, lavender and other important products like Rajmash of erstwhile Doda region,” he said.
He said the three sanctioned incubation facility centres in Anantnag, Baramulla and Jammu would be completed in one year.
He hoped that these centres would prove to be a milestone in the history of processing and marketing of agricultural, horticulture, dairy and fish products in J&K.
“It will certainly help in achieving the goal of doubling the income of farmers,” he said.
Choudhary said Jammu and Kashmir Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (JK HPMC) Limited has been designated as the nodal agency for execution of all these three sanctioned projects.
