Sajad Gani Lone, Minister for Sheep & Animal Husbandry today visited district Sheep Office Shopian, Hatch Poultry farm Shirmal, Sheep Breeding Farm Shadab Zawoora and Fisheries Farm Shopian. He called for enhanced investment in this lucrative sector to boost the State’s economy.Minister was accompanied by MLA, Shopian, Mr Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, MLC, Mr Zaffar Manhas, Deputy Commissioner Shopian, Mr G M Dar, Director Animal Husbandry Dr Shamas-ud-Din Makhdoomi, Director Fisheries, SSP Shopian & District Animal Husbandry Officer, Shopian.The legislators briefed the Minister regarding tremendous scope for agriculture and allied activities in the district Shopian and various problems being faced by the Sheep and Animal Husbandry department.The officers also briefed the Minister about the functioning of the Animal and Sheep Husbandry departments and various ongoing schemes in fisheries, poultry, and other related sectors.
The minister asked the officers to work in tandem with public representatives to bring improvement in functioning of the department. He said Jammu & Kashmir is blessed with huge natural resources which are very useful for agriculture and allied activities.He stressed upon cooperative model and public private partnership and big investments in the sector. The minister said the need of the hour is to make the state self-sufficient in this sector as J&K is meeting bulk of domestic consumption from imports. He asked the unemployed educated youth to show keen interest in setting up their own units in this sector like dairy, poultry, fishery as there is immense scope for income generation and employment opportunities in this sectors.