SRINAGAR: The Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhury Mohammad Iqbal today inaugurated the distribution of vegetable/exotic vegetable seedlings raised on scientific lines under hi-tech poly house conditions at Kilam Kulgam.
Speaking to the farmers, Director Agriculture highlighted the importance of vegetable cultivation in the overall development of the agriculture sector for the region. He said that the department is vigorously pursuing the ambitious target of providing seedlings of different vegetable crops to the farmers of the valley and in this direction the department has already introduced many initiatives.
Chowdhury Iqbal said that the department has established hi-tech poly houses in all the districts of the Kashmir division with the aim to provide quality vegetable seedlings to the farmers of the concerned districts in sufficient quantity. “We are endeavoring to attract more and more educated youth towards the vegetable sector so that they could become job providers, not job seekers,” he added.
Director Agriculture appreciated the efforts of the concerned officers/officials of hi-tech poly house Kilam Kulgam and asked them to organize farmers’ awareness cum training programmes with a focus on vegetable cultivation so that more and more farmers, Educated youth could adopt this on commercial lines.
Chowdhury Iqbal said that valley-wide seedling distribution will continue in a phased manner. He said that demand for vegetable seedlings is increasing every year as backyard farming and kitchen garden cultivation is increasing which is an encouraging trend for the overall development of the agriculture sector.
Later, the Director Agriculture visited vegetable Mandi Vessu Kulgam and took stock of various agricultural activities there.
Deputy Director Agriculture Planning Mohammad Younis Chowdhury, Chief Agriculture officer Kulgam, Sartaj Ahmad Shah, SDAO Qaimoh Subash Chandera, SMSs, field functionaries of Qaimoh Kulgam, and other senior officers of the department were also present on the occasion.
