Director Horticulture Jammu, Ram Savak on Monday inaugurated a newly established Facilitation Centre cum Sale Counter at Horticulture Complex Udhampur. Chief Horticulture officer Udhampur Rajinder Kumar and other District officers of the department were also present.
The Facilitation cum Sale Counter of the department sells different preserved fruit products viz: Jam, Jelly, Pickles, Preserves, Squashes, etc. on subsidized rates. On the occasion, the Director advised the farmers to focus on post harvest management of fruit crops by establishing processing units under the PMFME scheme.
“It is a landmark initiative of Aatmannirbhar Bharat Abhiyan for the value addition of fruit products which will not only reduce post harvest losses but also provide employment opportunities for the rural youth” he said.
He said that the Department of Horticulture is providing One month Training in Fruit and Vegetable Preservation to the unemployed youth. The director impressed upon officers to impart training to the maximum number of youth in the art of fruit preservation to enable them to establish fruit processing units for which the department provides more than 50% financial assistance. He also issued on spot instructions to the officers regarding the improvement in the sales counter.