Director Agriculture Jammu H K Razdan visited Vegetable Growing Belt of Kanachak-Mishriwala area. He was accompanied by Joint Director Agriculture (Extension) Jammu K S Sambayal, ADO (Vegetables) Jammu, S. A. S. Reen and AEO Mishriwal Rajesh Verma.While inspecting a trial of direct seeded rice at Shamachak, as an initiative by Zone Mishriwala, Razdan expressed his satisfaction and said that such small initiatives will help to increase the farmers income by reducing the labour component and drudgery and ultimately leading to reduction in the cost of cultivation. He stressed the need for popularization of such initiatives will help in achieving the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.The Director was apprised that the direct seeding of paddy with the seed drum helps in skipping the operations of nursery sowing and transplanting, reduction in the seed rate, maintaining proper spacing , easy weed management and profuse tillering which leads to reduction in labour cost and drudgery and high production. He was also briefed that the farmers of adjoining areas are visiting the trial and are motivated by its performance and are asking for popularization of this technique by the Department in the next Kharif season.
Razdan appreciated the farmers of the area for adopting advance technologies of cultural practices and growing improved varieties to enhance their production in terms of yield and quality. He advised the farmers to give thrust on organic farming and to diversify their agriculture activities so as to improve their socio-economic status. He further emphasized on the use of vermin-compost for conversion of foliage, cowdung and other farm wastes into invaluable organic manure. He advised the farmers to take full benefit of the Integrated Vegetable Development Cluster (IVDC) Project under implementation in the area.Later on, the Director inspected the vermicompost units and irrigation pumpsets installed under Integrated Vegetable Development Cluster (IVDC). He also visited the fields of vegetables growers at village Pandorian where farmers are persuing diversified cultivation of crops. M. N. Raina, RP Kochar, Arun Jaral, Rajinder Kumar, Joginder Singh JAEOs and VAEAs of the area also accompanied the Director Agriculture.