Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir informed the House that efforts are afoot to curb the sale and purchase of spurious insecticide and pesticide and measures for promotion of Horticulture in the State.The Minister was replying on the Motion Moved yesterday by Javid Ahmad Dar in the House to discuss the measures taken for stop of sale, purchase and use of these drugs in the orchards. Various other Members also raised points regarding the issues and sought clarification from the Government.Terming Horticulture sector as back-bone of the State economy, the Minister said that large chunk of population directly or indirectly associated with it.The Minister informed that a Committee headed by Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST was constituted to find out the causes of damage to the horticulture due to scabies. The Committee in its reports stated that the pesticides and insecticide did not prove effective due to heavy rains from March to June.
The Minister said in Kashmir pision, products of 39 Pesticide/ insecticide Companies are being supplied and sold to avoid the monopoly of any company and the sale of spurious Pesticides and insecticides. In all 150 products of pesticides of these 39 manufacturing companies have been recommended by SKUAST for distribution and sale .Mir informed that the Directorate of Enforcement, for the first time, has taken initiative and circulated that the farmers should use only those fungicides whose efficacy has been testified by the SKUAST. He said Enforcement Wing of the Department has also written to the Companies in this regards, that they have to deposit the sample of Pesticide and insecticide depicting Batch no. Set up in the SKUAST for the testing their efficacy. A laboratory of national level has been in the SKUAT, the Minister informed.
The Minister said no doubt the horticulture industry has received 7 per cent loss because of use of spurious fungicide and the rest is because of hailstorm. He said against the 52 lakh tones produce of apple last year, 50 lakh tones have been registered so far in the current year.Mr. Mir said the farmers have to register complaint, if any, with the Enforcement Wing of the Directorate with relevant documents.
Mr. M Y Tarigami, A R Veeri, Javid Dar, Sukhnandan, Peerzada Mansoor Hussain and Mohammad Sharief Niaz participated in the discussion and raised points. (KNS).