Principal Secretary Animal, Sheep Husbandry, Fisheries and Transport Departments, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon today conducted extensive tour of Akhnoor and Sunderbani and inspected Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Farms.The Principal Secretary was accompanied by Director Fisheries R.N Pandita, Director Animal Husbandry Jammu Sanjeev Kumar, Director Sheep Husbandry Jammu Victor Koul and other senior officers of the concerned department.Dr Samoon visits Government Veterinary Hospital Domana where he addressed an awareness camp organized by Animal Husbandry Department to encourage the farmers especially related to dairy farms. He also distributed animal feed supplements and medicine kits among milk producers and also listened to their grievances and demands including selling of milk at proper rates.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Samoon said that the State produces around 70 Lac litres of milk per day but less than 5 % of total milk produced is routed and marketed through organized sector (milk processing companies) and rest of the milk is marketed through unorganized sector which compromises its quality.
He stressed on the need to formulate a policy for the benefit of the farmers especially for establishing cooperatives for them and providing them suitable space at main city areas for selling of their milk products.Dr Samoon said that farmers need to develop and upgrade their farms to produce milk in sufficient quantity without compromising the quality. He said that sector can open job avenues for thousands of unemployed youth.Dr. Samoon also paid a visit to the Sheep Husbandry Centre at Domana. He stressed on the need for making breeding policy for livestock. He directed concerned officers for better health facilities and vaccination for the livestock so that farmers related to this sector don’t face any kind of problem. Later, he visited Ornamental Breeding Centre at Doomi and inspects the fish catching demastration. He said that there are ample avenues of employment in these sectors related to fish farming, animal and sheep husbandry and poultry farm sector.He said that the people need to be made aware about departmental and welfare schemes launched by government so that farmers could avail maximum benefits from it.