Baramulla: Director Agriculture Production and Farmer Welfare Department (AP&FWD) Kashmir, Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal, today visited various areas of Baramulla, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts.
During the visit, the Director convened a meeting of the concerned officers regarding the implementation of different centrally sponsored schemes and flagship programmes. The meeting was informed about the various latest interventions and status of new crops like sweet corn in different areas of north Kashmir.
Speaking on the occasion, the Director reiterated the importance of a multidimensional and market-oriented approach in present-day farming. He asked the concerned officers to work in close coordination with the farming community so that the real time technologies and interventions in the farming sector could reach the farming community of the valley.
Iqbal said that department’s ultimate goal is the socio-economic transformation of farming community and to achieve this goal various initiatives including farmer outreach programmes, introduction of exotic and organic vegetables, skill development in Agriculture and allied sectors, marketing interventions in and outside UT of Jammu & Kashmir, apiculture mapping across valley have already been taken up by the department.
After inaugurating the sowing of onion seed at High tech poly house, Baramulla, the Director visited vegetable cluster Arampora and other areas. He asked the farmers to adopt cooperative approaches in Agriculture and allied sectors so that the cooperatives could themselves decide the price for their produce and commodities of their ventures.
He said this approach which works on the principle of mutual benefit, will not only improve the socio-economic conditions of the concerned farmers of the cooperative societies but will generate employment opportunities for the educated youth of the valley.
At Wakura Ganderbal, the Director interacted with the Sweet Melon/ watermelon growers who apprised him about this year’s bumper crop. On this occasion the Director inaugurated the sowing of exotic vegetables.
The Director Agriculture was accompanied by Joint Director Agriculture Extension, Shahid Iqbal, Deputy Director Planning, Mohammad Younis Choudhary, and other senior officers of the department.
