Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development, and Panchayati Raj departments, Javid Ahmad Dar, today conducted an extensive tour of Kathua district to oversee progressive farming activities under Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP).
The Minister emphasized that the hand holding of farmers particularly women farmers under HADP is driving progressive farming practices and ensuring sustainable growth in J&K. During the tour, the Minister inspected the Krishna Millet Restaurant at Pathwal, a women-led initiative that promotes millet-based healthy cuisine.
He appreciated the entrepreneurial spirit of the women involved, enjoyed the delicious millet dishes and encouraged others to take inspiration from such ventures to promote nutritional awareness and self-reliance.
The Minister also visited the Jandi Mushroom Village, where he closely monitored the integrated farming practices, including mushroom cultivation, vermi-composting and wheat crop management.
The Minister interacted with the local farmers and women entrepreneurs including Neelam Devi, who has successfully installed 2,000 mushroom bags and Rajni Devi, who has installed 1,000 mushroom bags and is actively managing a vermi-composting unit provided by the department under HADP.
The Jandi Panchayat has collectively installed over 10,000 mushroom bags, showcasing the region’s potential in mushroom cultivation. During the interactions, the Minister emphasised the importance of handholding support for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly women.
He urged them to explore opportunities in exotic vegetable cultivation with the government providing necessary assistance through cluster-based polyhouse facilities, high-tech farming techniques and access to modern farm machinery.
He also highlighted the significance of fodder cultivation to support livestock farming and improve rural livelihoods. The Minister visited the Soil Testing Mini Lab and Kissan Khidmat Ghar (KKG) at Pathwal and took stock of their functioning.
He stressed the need for massive awareness campaigns on soil health management, encouraging farmers to regularly test their soil for better crop yields and sustainable agricultural practices. At the KKG center in Pathwal, the Minister interacted with the women entrepreneurs to understand their challenges and achievements.
Accompanying Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Kathua, Sanjeev Rai, briefed the Minister on various initiatives aimed at empowering women farmers through activities like pickle making, mushroom cultivation and honey bee farming.
The Minister praised the efforts of the agriculture department in promoting value-added agricultural practices and urged officials to identify more women entrepreneurs for initiatives like millet restaurants.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment towards women empowerment, rural self-reliance and sustainable agricultural growth through innovative schemes under HADP.