District Development Council Chairman, Kathua, Mahan Singh today inaugurated Kissan Mela organised by Agriculture Department here at Village Lakhri, Billawar.The Mela, organised under National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture, witnessed enthusiastic participation of the farmers of Billawar sub division.Stalls of the Agricultural and allied Sectors along with Agriculture Inputs, Farm Machinery and Organic Products were also being displayed at the MEla. The farmers’ exhibits were also displayed in the Mela, which were highly appreciated and duly rewarded. Free of cost vegetable seedlings were given to all the farmers in the Mela.While speaking on the occasion, the DDC Chairman appealed the farming community to take the maximum benefit of all the schemes and explore possibility of area specific potential. He also appreciated the Department for working with farmers at grassroots level and called for more such melas in far flung areas like Bani, Billawar & Basholi for the awareness of farmers. He said the farmers are being empowered through farm laws and doing away with monopoly in the market.The DDC Chairman said farmers can avail schemes under which Combine Machines are being provided to the farmers in addition to Tractors & Threshers at Panchyat level.
He appealed farmers to explore opportunities of establishing spice related enterprises as District Kathua has been declared as a Spices District under “One District One Product” (ODOP).DDC Member, Gujroo Nagrota N. D. Tripathi, said that Mushroom cultivation at Kached panchayat is a model unit in the entire district and appealed the farmers to come forward to take benefits of all departmental schemes.Chief Agriculture Officer, Vijay Kumar Upadhaya, said that Department of Agriculture is committed to work for the welfare of the farming community. He said efforts are also being made to develop District Kathua as hub of Organic farming in the coming two years.BDC Chairman Nagrota Gujroo, Abhay Khajuria urged the farmers to take benefit of all departmental schemes.BDC Chairman Billawar Ashok Kumar Sharma appealed the youth to avail employment opportunities under different schemes of Agriculture sector.BDC Chairperson Mandli Reeta Devi, highlighted the problem of Monkey Menace and appealed the female farming community to come forward for the development of the area.ADO (Veg.) Manohar lal Sharma gave a detailed description of all the departmental schemes viz. PMKSY, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna, KCC, Atam Nirbhar Bharat , SHCS etc.Among others, Mushroom Development Officer Vevaik Kohli, Assistant Soil Chemist, Chaman Lal , SMS-DL Anil Gupta , SMS-DL Krishan Kant, SMS-SDL Raman Gupta , SMS-SDL Ravi Raman Raina , AEO, Sanjeev Mehta, Sarpanches, panches , progressive farmers, besides officers from the Agriculture and allied sector were also present.