Dir Agriculture (K) inaugurates “Farm Day” celebrations

Srinagar : Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal Saturday inaugurated the ‘’Farm Day” at Floriculture Farms Lalmandi, Srinagar. On the occasion, he also participated in some farm activities there.
Pertinent to mention, that there are more than 30 Departmental farms which are the key source for the supply of seeds of different agriculture crops to the farming community of the region.
Addressing the media on the occasion, Director Agriculture said the main aim of organizing such valley wide events, on one hand is to sensitize the Departmental work force about the importance of Departmental Farms in the overall agriculture ecosystem and on the other hand to evolve an outreach system to involve real tillers of the land with the scientific interventions in the departmental farms and the farmers field.
Director Agriculture said that the Department is vigorously chasing the dream of self-reliance in seed requirements for the region.
Chowdhary Iqbal said that we are working on a long term plan wherein agro-climaticregion-specific cropping system is introduced and adopted in the departmental farms so that it could be replicated in the farmer’s field.
Department is focusing on some key areas like the sustenance of natural resources (soil and water), saving farmers from distress, and attracting the rural youth towards agriculture, he added.
Dir said that the Department is strengthening the departmental farms on the concept of micro-level cropping diversification and marketing plan, as the effective crop diversification is a pre-requisite not only for profitable agriculture but also for sustenance of natural resources.
Chaudhurysaid that from the last 2 years the Department has introduced a reoriented model for the departmental farms and farmer’s field which is focused mainly on conservation & precision irrigation techniques in relation to the different agro climatic conditions.
“We are practicing promotion of integrated agriculture including integrated pest management, integrated nutrient management and integrated water management, during the cultivation of different agriculture crops in these departmental farms rather than chemical-based agriculture”, he stated.
Similar functions were held at vegetable seed multiplication farm at Tapper Kreeri, Potato Seed Multiplication Farm Gulmarg, Agrostology Farm YarikhahTangmarg, Seed Multiplication Farm Padgampora, S. M. Farm WataporaBandipora, S.M.FarmAllowpora, and S.M. Farm MarkundalSumbal. MFC Farm Nunnar Ganderbal, S.M.FarmTrikanjan and other Departmental farms across the valley.