The Department of Horticulture Jammu leaving no stone unturned in creating awareness among the farming community for plantation of fruit crops during the ensuing monsoon season.As rainy season is best suitable for new plantation especially in the kandi area, the Director Horticulture Jammu, Ram Savak today conducted a whirlwind tour of District Kathua and launched the plantation drive at multiple locations by planting saplings of Citrus, Mango & Litchi plants in the compact farmer’s field at Kathua, Barnoti and Hiranagar zones of the horticulture department in the presence of Joint Director Horticulture Jammu, C. L Sharma, Chief Horticulture Officer Kathua, Sushil Kunam Angurana, Chief Horticulture Jammu S. Sarbjeet Singh, DLSMS (PP), DLSMS (P), HDO, PRI members and other officials of the department.
During the plantation drive, the director interacted with the farmers and encouraged them to take maximum benefits of the farmer friendly schemes of the department and enhance their livelihood.An awareness camp was also organized at village Sumwan, Kathua wherein all the district officers, besides a large number of farmers including women, sarpanch and PRI members of the area participated.
Addressing the gathering of farmers, fruit growers, the director stressed the need to encourage High Density Plantation in the area and adopt the cluster approach to establish new orchards. The department is providing all assistance to the farmers and they should take all the benefits of the centrally and UT sponsored schemes of the department.
He impressed upon farmers to form Self Help Groups (SHG’s), associate with horticulture department and the department will help them in setting up of Micro Food Processing units under the PMFME scheme, a landmark initiative of Aatmannirbhar Bharat Abhiyan for the value addition of fruit products which will not only provide employment opportunities, but also become self reliant and can play an important role in enhancing the family income.
The Joint Director Horticulture Jammu, while speaking on the occasion, asked the farmers to keep a close liaison with the department of horticulture, adopt integrated farming in their fields and enhance their livelihood. The Chief Horticulture Officer Kathua, urged the farmers to come forward and avail the benefits on components such as creation of irrigation sources, mechanization, custom hiring centres, vermicompost units, protected cultivation, tools & implements, post harvest management etc. He also laid emphasis on planting exotic fruit crops like Dragon Fruit in their fields so as to get more income from the same area, thereby helping in doubling the farmer’s income.