Srinagar: Agriculture Production & Farmers’ Welfare Department Kashmir today celebrated Paddy Transplanting Day (JASHN-E-DHAAN) across the valley. The campaign was inaugurated by Principal Secretary Agriculture Production and Farmer’s Welfare Department Navin Kumar Chowdhary in presence of Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal at Dangerpora Awantipora Pulwama.
While having an interaction with the farmers Navin Chowdhary said that the Department is committed to its policy of farmer’s welfare / wellbeing and development of agriculture sector in the UT. He said a multi dimensional approach has been adopted by the Department to achieve the goal of doubling the farmer’s income by the year 2022. He said the Department has taken a series of initiatives necessary for the development of agriculture sector. To ensure the marketing facility to the farmers during the covid lockdown was a challenge but with the comprehensive efforts by the Department a marketing strategy was devised and implemented by virtue of which marketing facilities were provided to the farmers whose crop was harvested during the covid lockdown, in order to ensure the economic security of the farming community, he said and added.
Navin Chowdhary reiterated the importance of transferring the latest technology and interventions to the farmers on field so that the dream of making agriculture a developed sector and socio economic transformation of farming community could be achieved.
While expressing his views on the occasion Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal said that today’s event is a part of series of events which actually started from the event of celebrating beginning of Kharief season in Tangdar Kupwara. Department took a series of initiatives including introduction and development of organic vegetable clusters in different districts, exotic vegetable cultivation, mushroom cultivation, skill development for women and youth empowerment, honey production, marketing outlets for organic vegetable growers at Lalmandi and different districts of Kashmir Division etc. All these and other steps were taken to boost the farmer’s income on one hand and to minimize the impact of covid pandemic on farming sector on the other hand, he said and added.
Mr .Iqbal said that today’s event will boost the moral of farming community across the length and breadth of valley. He said the message is that during these challenging times of covid pandemic Department and farmers will fight together with this pandemic and will win over it. Similar functions were held in all the districts of Kashmir Division.
Later on Principal Secretary AP&FWD Navin Kumar Chowdhary inaugurated a Organic Vegetable Sales Outlet near Migrant Colony Vessu Anantnag.
Principal Secretary was accompanied by Joint Director Agriculture Inputs Farooq Ahmad Shah, Deputy Director Law Enforcement Mohammad Younis Chowdhary and other senior officers of the Department.
Joint Director Agriculture Inputs Farooq Ahmad Shah visited and monitored Paddy Transplanting Day Celebrations in the different districts of South Kashmir while as Joint Director Agriculture Extension Mohammad Qasim Gani monitored the events in district Baramulla and Kupwara, Joint Director Agriculture MPHM and Farm Mech, Kashmir Mohammad Syed Peer in district Srinagar and Budgam while as Joint Director Agricultural Farms, Procurement Mandis and Promotion of spices and Medicinal Plants Dr. Syed Waseem Ahmad Shah visited and monitored the Paddy Transplanting Day Celebrations in Ganderbal and Bandipora districts.
