Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has stressed the need for bridging the gap between lab and the field to attain optimum results in agriculture.Addressing the 6th convocation of Sher i Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SKUAST-J), Jammu here today, the Chief Minister said though agricultural farming in Jammu & Kashmir is comparatively at a satisfying level in comparison to other states, there is a need to look into the reasons for the sector not performing upto the expectational levels. She asked the scientists and policy planners to look why despite so many schemes and technological interventions agriculture has not been picking up as an enterprising sector.Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was the chief guest on the occasion.The Chief Minister stressed on more close coordination between the research laboratories and the farming fields where these researches are implemented. She asked the students to bridge this gap and bring in latest soil testing kits, harvest technology and pest management to field so that the yield is improved and the sector gets viability. Though the sector in our State is performing considerably well as compared to other States, still we need to ponder where does it lag”, she said while delivering her address.
Mehbooba Mufti asked the students to adopt agriculture and allied activities as an entrepreneurial sector which would not only provide them individual jobs but also strengthen rural economy. “Look at West, how cool it is to be a farmer there”, she told the young agricultural graduates. “What does our State not produce. Some of the best cereals like Mushkabudji and Basmati Rice, dry fruits like Walnuts and Saffron”, she said and advised agricultural graduates to adopt farming as an enterprise in which they can showcase these unique varieties to exploit the global market.Governor, N. N. Vohra; Deputy Chief Minister, Kanvinder Gupta; Minister of State in PMO, Dr. Jitendra Singh; Minister for Agriculture, Muhammad Khalil Bandh; Minister for Horticulture, Law & Parliamentary Affairs, Syed Basharat Bukhari, other Ministers; Member Parliament, Jugal Kishore; legislators; Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-J, Dr. P K Sharma, officers from State Government and SKUAST-J were present on the occasion.