JAMMU: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, today visited Seed Multiplication Farm, Chinore to review the functioning of the unit.
He was accompanied by Director Agriculture Jammu, K. K. Sharma during the inspection of field operations of Rabi crops. ACS inspected the latest machinery being used at the farm like combines, seed drills, trans-planters, multi-crop-threshers, tractors, potato planters, ridgers, and offsets.
Dulloo directed the farm management to devise a strategy to minimize the yield gaps and focus on the upgradation of the farm on modern scientific lines with the utilization of the latest machinery and area expansion under irrigation to explore the full potential for seed production. He instructed the staff to work hard for achieving self-sufficiency in HYV seed production of vegetable/fodder in addition to cereal crops.
ACS emphasized that departmental farms must act as demonstration models in the field of the latest production practices for the farmers.
Director Agriculture apprised the ACS of the developments made in the quality seed production of crops at the Farm despite being located at the vulnerable international border. He also informed that foundation and breeder seeds of high-yielding elite varieties of wheat, oats, mustard, and pulses are being multiplied at the farm in the current Rabi season on an area of 2265 acres for further supply to the farmers during the next rabi season.
Meanwhile, ACS visited the Hydroponic Exotic Vegetable farm at Marh established by Sajan Gupta, an agri entrepreneur. He enjoined upon the officers to promote such interventions on large scale by motivating the young entrepreneurs and creating good market linkages.
Dulloo also visited a private Hi-Tech Kisan Silage Unit Gajansoo located near SM Farm Chinore which is the biggest unit of J&K UT producing more than 7000 tonnes of high-quality silage.
Director Agriculture Jammu also briefed the ACS about the progress on the establishment of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) under the Indo-Dutch Project for Potato Seed production.
Joint Director Inputs, A. S. Reen, Joint Director Apiculture & Mushrooms R. K. Hitaishi, JD Farms, Vivek Kolhi, Assistant Agriculture Chemist, Pradeep Sharma, Assistant Agrosotologist, Varinder Ambardhar, Farm Manager SMF Chinore, Kuldeep Raj, PDO, Narinder Pal Singh besides others also accompanied the ACS.
