Director Sericulture, Gulzar Ahmad Shabnum, today flagged-off a group of 35 silkworm rearers on an exposure tour to Karnataka under centrally-sponsored Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme.The group part of capacity building and skill up-scaling programme, left from here in presence of Project Executive Jammu, Javid Ahmad, District Sericulture Officers of Kathua and Jammu Anju Koul and Farhat Abbas and senior functionaries of the Department.On the occasion, the Director said that the Department is endeavouring to supplement the resources and capabilities of silkworm rearers to boost their economic profile.During the tour, the farmers will visit the institutions of repute like National Silkworm Seed Organization (N.S.S.O), Bangalore, Central Sericulture Research & Training Institutes at Bangalore and Mysore, besides e-Cocoon markets at Ramanagara and other places in Karnataka, he added.Meanwhile, the Director said that so far three groups of officials of various wings of the department have been trained under ATMA at Bangalore and Mysore and the programme will continue to make the officials as well as private players more resourceful. He said that better utilization of human and capital resources is being ensured by the Department with the ultimate goal of making J&K a leading bivoltine silk producing state.