Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rajesh Sharma today chaired a meeting of stakeholders to review and finalize the Farmers Producer Organization (FPO) under the Central Sector Scheme aimed at strengthening farmer collectives and promoting agri-entrepreneurship.
A FPO was formally selected out of three contenders for Kathua district to be supported and developed as a Model Collective, enabling farmers to achieve better market linkages, credit access and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The DC emphasized that the initiative will empower farmers by enhancing their bargaining power, reduce input costs and improve post-harvest management. He called upon all stakeholders to extend full support in capacity building and effective functioning of the FPO.
Chief Agriculture Officer Jatinder Kumar, Chief Planning Officer Ranjit Thakur, District Treasury Officer Jivtesh Singh besides representatives of participating FPOs attended the meeting and shared valuable inputs. The officers assured coordinated efforts for smooth implementation of the scheme and promotion of FPOs across Kathua district.