Srinagar: A French based company will set up establish high yielding elite Apple plant nursery based on high value genetic stock suitable to climate of Kashmir through a tie up with a local entrepreneur, an official spokesman said on Tuesday evening.
In this regard representative of FIATS, a French company, Mare-Andre gave a detailed presentation on the proposed programme to Director Horticulture Kashmir and officers of the Department here.
The representative of M/S FIATS, an Indo-French Collaboration assured the Department that the company is robustly following the business proposal and will put all out efforts with their expertise in establishment of fruit plant nurseries together with research and development facilities to pass on the benefits of high standard fruit plant production to the growers community in Kashmir.
The Director Horticulture Kashmir assured the French delegation that all necessary assistance will be provided for establishment of an elite plant nursery in Kashmir.
Menwhile, Director Agriculture Kashmir Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi conveyed a meeting on Tuesday to review the preparedness for the introduction of direct benefit transfer (DBT) of fertiliser subsidies in Kashmir Division
While speaking on the occasion, Director Agriculture said that Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in fertilizer sector is a positive shift from old and orthodox system to a new Multi-dimensional online system that is able to promote transparency and accountability in the entire fertilizer sector. He impressed upon the representatives of concerned agencies to expedite the process of installation of Point of Sale Machines (POS) in all the retailer and sales outlets of Kashmir division.
He impressed upon the representatives of fertilizers companies that department is committed to uphold the interests of the farming community, therefore, no compromise on the quality of fertilizers and no laxity in this regard can be tolerated and the distributors or dealers if found violating set norms would be legally dealt with. He said all the procedures being adopted during this entire exercise should be in consonance with the pan India procedures.
While taking the review of demand and supply of different kinds of chemical fertilizer, in Kashmir Division, Andrabi directed the Chief Agriculture Officers to monitor and regulate the supply of fertilizers to the farmers of concerned districts. He directed the representatives of different fertilizers companies to ensure the timely supply of different kind of fertilizers in all the districts of Kashmir division. The fertilizer wholesalers were asked to create a facility for storing at least 200 metric tons of fertilizers at a time failing which their licence would be cancelled.
Director Agriculture instructed the concerned officers to organise a training programme for officers at block level as well as to fertilizer dealers on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and sensitize them about the importance of Direct Benefit Transfer and consequent benefit of DBT in different schemes.
