To gear up the Monsoon plantation in block Maira Mandrian, Horticulture Department Jammu today organised awareness cum interaction programmes at multiple locations of far flung and remote areas in panchayat Baruie, Kathar, Queer and Maira Mandrian of Akhnoor.
All the events were headed by Chief Horticulture Officer, S. Sarbjeet Singh, while District Level- Subject Matter Specialist (Pomology) Jammu, HDO Akhnoor, besides a large number of farmers, sarpanch and PRI members of the area participated.
Addressing the farmers, the Chief Horticulture Officer said that the objective behind organizing camps is to motivate the farmers to associate with the department and take benefits of departmental schemes, especially new plantations and creation of irrigation sources.
He said that being a kandi area, it is difficult for a farmer to increase his farm production, as he is mostly dependent on rains. “But with the assistance of the department farmers can create irrigation sources like borewells, water harvesting tanks, shallow well, drip irrigation etc in their orchards” he added.
He observed that the area faces monkey menace due to which the farmers have left their lands even vacant without any cultivation. “To get rid of this problem, a farmer can go for plantation of Galgal and Lime in their vacant lands as these crops are not damaged by monkeys and also give good returs as these fruits were sold at prices of Rs 300-400 per kg during the last season” he informed. Moreover, the fruits of these crops are never sold at a price less than Rs 100 per kg in any season of the year, he added.
DLSMS (Pomology), Sandeep Gupta imparted the farmers an in-depth knowledge about the central as well as UT sponsored schemes of the department. He asked them to come forward and avail the benefits on components such as creation of irrigation sources, custom hiring centres, vermicompost units, protected cultivation, tools & implements, post harvest management etc.
The farmers listened earnestly and some of them were motivated on the spot to take benefit of these schemes for their welfare. He also deliberated on Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, (AIF) which aims at providing a financing facility through interest subvention and credit guarantee support on loans for creation of post harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets.Horticulture Development Officer, Akhnoor Sunil Gupta conducted the proceedings of the programmes.