Srinagar: ‘Ours is one of the best agro climatic conditions in the country for the production of fresh vegetables and with the introduction of latest agriculture interventions like hi-tech poly green houses, we are able to produce fresh vegetables round the year. One more factor that distinguishes and gives us an edge over the rest of country is that our vegetable crops get ready to consumption when most of the states do not have their crops ready, therefore it increases the avenues for our commercial vegetable growers to market their produce in and outside the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.’
These views were expressed by Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal after inaugurating a vegetable (organic / conventional) market at district Pulwama. Pertinent to mention amid covid-19 lockdown the Department has started an initiative to open such markets in all the districts of Kashmir Division so that the fresh vegetables could be kept available to the consumers of Kashmir.
Chowdhary Iqbal said that vegetable cultivation has a great potential in these areas of Pulwama and the introduction of organic and exotic vegetable cultivation has added more dimensions to this trade. Holistic, diversified, integrated farming is the key to future success in this enterprise, entrepreneurship is the key player for developed agriculture sector, he said and added.
Later on Chowdhary visited Seed Multiplication Farm Padgampora where he inaugurated the mechanized seedling transplantation of DAPOG raised paddy nurseries. Having an interaction with the officers and technical experts of the Seed Multiplication Farm Director Agriculture asked the concerned officers to organize training programs for the educated youth of adjacent villages in terms of seedling raising on commercial lines so that the entrepreneurship culture could be promoted among the youth. The Department is committed to women and youth empowerment in agriculture sector because the future lies within the expertise of our generations to come, he said and added.
Director Agriculture was accompanied by Joint Director Agriculture Extension Mohammad Qasim Gani, and other senior officers of the Department.
