Srinagar: A high-level Jammu and Kashmir delegation led by Agriculture Production Minister Javid Ahmad Dar has concluded an official visit to Europe to study advanced horticulture technologies, nursery systems and sustainable farming practices aimed at strengthening the Union Territory’s horticulture sector.
The delegation included Director Horticulture, Kashmir, Vikas Anand, senior officials associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP) and Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), Prof Haroon Rashid Naik, former Director Research, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Kashmir, and Dr A. Raouf Malik, Principal Investigator, HADP.
According to an official statement, the delegation visited commercial nurseries in Europe to study nursery management, plant propagation techniques, certification systems, phytosanitary standards, quality assurance and pest management practices. Officials said the exposure would help improve the quality of locally produced planting material and strengthen domestic nursery infrastructure.
The delegation also visited Koppert Biological Systems to study biological crop protection, integrated pest management and other sustainable horticulture practices aimed at reducing dependence on chemical pesticides.
The team examined advanced horticultural machinery used for nursery operations, orchard management, planting, pruning, spraying, harvesting and post-harvest handling. According to the statement, these technologies have the potential to improve productivity, reduce production costs and increase mechanisation in the sector.
The delegation also held discussions with research and breeding institutions on possible collaboration with SKUAST-Kashmir and the Department of Horticulture in areas such as germplasm exchange, fruit breeding, genomics, climate-resilient horticulture, precision farming, nursery development, researcher exchange and joint research programmes.
Dar said the visit marked an important step towards making Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector globally competitive. He said experts in the delegation would prepare a roadmap incorporating the key learnings from the visit, with recommendations for phased implementation under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), JKCIP and other government initiatives.
According to the statement, the recommendations are expected to support the introduction of improved nursery systems, stronger phytosanitary standards, biological crop protection technologies, precision mechanisation and collaborative research to promote sustainable horticulture development in Jammu and Kashmir.
