Director Horticulture Kashmir, Ajaz Ahmad Bhat, today convened a meeting here to review the progress of various central and state sponsored schemes being implemented by the Horticulture Department. Chief Horticulture Officers, District Horticulture Officers, Manager Cum Chemist, Subject Matter Specialists of Kashmir Division and other concerned attended the meeting.During the meeting, Chief Horticulture Officers outlined the difficulties and bottle necks being faced by the officers in implementation of the schemes on the ground.Director Horticulture Kashmir passed instructions to the officers to depute the technical staff of the Department to Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture /SKUAST-Kashmir for upgradation of their skills with special reference to the budding/grafting of the walnut.It was also impressed upon the officers to furnish tour diaries regularly with details of their visit to the area and orchardists.Bhat also instructed to collect the pesticides/fungicides samples regularly to keep a check on the sale of spurious pesticides/fungicides in the open market.The meeting decided that a proposal shall be formulated for vesting the power with the Chief Horticulture Officers/Horticulture Development Officers to check the distribution of substandard fruit plant material. A Committee of senior officers has also been constituted for random checking of private sector nurseries to arrest the menace of production of plants which are not true to type.It was said that the Department will conduct awareness camps among the orchardist community for establishment of High Density Apple orchards for better returns.