The Director General (DG) Horticulture, Kashmir, Ajaz Ahmad Bhat today toured the Uri sub-division of district Baramulla to participate in an awareness camp organized by the department at Fruit Plant Nursery Salamabad, Uri.The camp was a part of the UT Governments’ initiative to reach out to the people of tribal and border areas.At the outset, Chief Horticulture Officer Baramulla apprised the participants about the present scenario of horticulture in sub-division Uri and elaborated in detail about the various central and UT sponsored schemes offered by the department.Speaking on the occasion, the DG urged the farmers to come forward, associate with the Horticulture Department and avail the benefits of different departmental Schemes. He further said that focus will be given on area specific fruit plants and varieties as the Uri sub-division unlike the rest of the valley has temperate as well as sub-tropical climatic conditions.Regarding the ignored and far-flung areas, he said that they will be given their due share and will be provided technical and financial help by the department to uplift their standard of living.
He further added that appropriate modalities will be worked out by the Department to ensure greater participation of the people of the border areas in the Departmental schemes and programmes.He also instructed the Field functionaries to organize workshops/ awareness camps at grassroots level particularly focusing on vermin-composting, in-situ grafting of walnut and olive plants etc.Many problems like damage caused by ‘walnut stem borer’ ‘pomegranate butterfly’ etc. were raised by the locals to which DG assured that necessary advisory will be issued by the department in coming days.In the end, the DG distributed about 12000 fruit plants of lemon, pomegranate, orange, walnut etc., among the farmers and instructed the Chief Horticulture Officer to import olive plants from Rajasthan and introduce new varieties in the area.Among others the camp was attended Block Development Chairperson Uri, Rafiq Ahmad Bloute, BDC Chairperson Parenpeelan Asifa Tabassum, Chief Horticulture Officer Baramulla Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, SDPO Uri, Junaid Wali and other officers of the Department.The DG later inspected the departmental olive orchard and olive oil extraction mill at Salamabad and it was informed that about 15 quintal of olive fruit was harvested this year. He gave on spot instruction for rejuvenation of the whole olive orchard.