JAMMU: Minister for Agriculture Production, Finance, Mining and Cooperative Departments Javid Ahmad Dar on Tuesday directed Horticulture Department officials to intensify field visits, interact regularly with farmers and ensure timely redressal of their grievances.
Chairing a review meeting with senior officers of the Horticulture Department, the minister assessed the progress of ongoing projects and implementation of various development schemes aimed at strengthening the horticulture sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Dar called for a farmer-centric approach to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach eligible beneficiaries, particularly small and marginal farmers. He stressed the need for transparency, accountability and timely delivery of financial assistance and other benefits under departmental programmes.
Emphasising the importance of field-level outreach, the minister directed officers and field functionaries to undertake regular visits to horticulture areas to assess ground realities, interact directly with farmers and identify challenges affecting their activities. He said such visits should help officials identify bottlenecks and ensure their prompt resolution.
He also called for intensifying awareness and extension activities to familiarise farmers with government schemes, financial assistance, technological interventions and support facilities available under different departmental programmes. He stressed that eligible farmers should not be deprived of benefits due to lack of awareness or procedural difficulties.
The minister further directed officers to prepare district-specific development strategies based on local horticultural potential, production patterns and crop requirements. He called for need-based and crop-specific interventions to address the varying requirements of different districts.
Stressing the need to strengthen the entire horticulture value chain, Dar said greater attention was required towards improving production and productivity, post-harvest management, processing and marketing to help farmers secure better returns for their produce.
He called for coordinated efforts between the Horticulture Department, Jammu and Kashmir Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (JKHPMC) and other allied agencies to ensure effective implementation of programmes and optimum utilisation of available resources.
During the meeting, officers presented details of the physical and financial progress of various ongoing schemes and projects being implemented by the Horticulture Department, JKHPMC and allied sectors.
The meeting was attended by Director Horticulture Jammu Gul Syed, Director Horticulture Kashmir Vikas Anand, Managing Director JKHPMC Mohammad Farooq and other concerned officers.
