SRINAGAR : Principal Secretary Animal/Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries departments, Navin Kumar Choudhary directed the officers to strive hard for making Jammu and Kashmir surplus area in production of milk and vegetables.
Principal Secretary, while chairing a review meeting held in this regard, maintained that J&K is a highly fertile area and importing edible products from outside in spite of potential of the same in the UT itself.
The meeting was attended by Vivek Sharma, Director Animal Husbandry Jammu, Purnima Mittal, Director Animal Husbandry Kashmir, Dr. Abdul Salam Mir Director Sheep Husbandry Kashmir, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Director Sheep Husbandry Jammu, Mohd. Amin, Director Fisheries J&K, Chief Executive Officer Livestock Development Board Jammu/Kashmir, CEO JKMPCL and Deputy Director Budget, Finance Department.
Quoting LG of J&K, Principal Secretary informed that he has stressed on doubling of milk production in next two years emphasizing the need of value addition of milk and its products. He expressed hope that with collective efforts of all stakeholders J&K can become self sufficient and net exporter of milk and its products.
Principal Secretary directed the heads of departments to implement beneficiary oriented schemes in a specific timeline so that maximum benefits are extended to livestock farmers. He asked the officers to give wide publicity to all the schemes including newly sponsored Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme being implemented under Atma Nirbhar Bharat. The benefit of this scheme can be extended to Farmer Producer Organizations, individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSMEs under which 3% interest subvention and credit guarantee upto 25% of project cost can be availed by the eligible entities.
Navin directed Director Animal Husbandry Jammu to ensure smooth transportation of dairy animals from outside UT. He asked him to coordinate with authorities at Kathua and Lakhanpur to make the transportation hassle free while strictly following SOPs issued in this regard. He also directed the concerned to organize Pashu Dhan Melas so that livestock farmers shall be able to sell and purchase productive livestock with ease. He asked JKMPCL to establish milk collection centres in District Baramulla to meet the demands of farmers there.
Principal Secretary said that there is need for establishment of modern slaughter houses with meat processing facility for availability of safe and hygienic meat to consumers. It was also informed that J&K is second largest producer of wool in the country and there is a dire need for establishment of wool processing facilities in collaboration with JK Industries.
Moreover, Director Fisheries was directed to submit a proposal on trout processing, packaging, transportation and marketing to build entrepreneurship in the sector as trout fish is USP of J&K.
Principal Secretary was informed that 31.45 lakh cattle and buffalo shall be vaccinated against foot & mouth disease in a mission mode in next two months under NADCP scheme of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
It was also revealed in the meeting that under Integrated Dairy Development Scheme of UT Capex 52 cases have been sanctioned by Animal Husbandry Jammu out of 654 cases sponsored by different districts of Jammu Division and 200 cases sponsored by Animal Husbandry Kashmir.
The meeting was further apprised that 41345 cases of KCC has been disbursed this year in the Livestock sector across J&K. Besides, work on some 10 infrastructure projects is apace under the languishing category and are expected to be completed soon benefitting thousands of farmers in far flung areas of J&K.
