Director Agriculture (J) launches Kharif campaign in Udhampur

Jammu: Continuing the Kharif 2021 campaign, Director Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare, Jammu, K. K. Sharma Saturday conducted a tour of Udhampur to gear up the departmental activities in the district in view of the upcoming Kharif season.
Joint Director Agriculture ( Apiculture & Mushroom Development), Ravinder Thaploo, Chief Agriculture Officer Udhampur, Subash Chander Sharma, DAO (Extension), Alok Pondotra, Apiculture Development officer, Sohan Singh, MDO, Sunil Gupta SMS-DL, Sukhbir Singh, ASCO, Vikas Padha were present besides others.
The Director launched the Kharif campaign by distributing maize trail minikits among the farmers at Tikri. Also Keys of tractor and power tiller were handed over to the beneficiary farmers on the occasion.
Four maize shellers were also handed over to four panchayats of zone free of cost for facilitation of the farmers.
While welcoming the Director, Chief Agriculture Officer Udhampur outlined the extension schemes and other activities being undertaken by Agriculture Department in Udhampur.
Interacting with farmers at Tikri, Director Agriculture urged the them to go for integrated farming by adopting dairy farming, mushroom cultivation, Bee-Keeping, farm mechanization, production of high value crops/ vegetables, sericulture and organic farming to achieve objective doubling of farmer’s income. He highlighted the importance of Agri-preneurship for getting round the year income by Product Branding, Processing, Packaging, Value addition and creating better marketing linkages.
Director Agriculture impressed upon the officers and field staff to motivate the farmers to take full advantage of centrally sponsored schemes like Soil Health Card Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFSBY), Kisan Credit Card Scheme (KCCS) and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Formation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (ODOP) and Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).
DDC member, Ashu Sharma and DDC chairperson, Nisha Sharma also addressed the gathering on the occasion and highlighted the local issues and demands. PRI members and progressives farmers of Tikri, Mand and adjoining panchayats attended the programme.
Later, K K Sharma also inspected the newly constructed Pasteurized compost making unit at Mushroom Demonstration and Training Centre Udhampur where he instructed the concerned officers to explore the possibility of processing/caning of mushroom during glut period. Meanwhile Director also visited the Seed Multiplication Farm, Kawa and took stock of the different activities being undertaken there.