Monsoon Plantation: Horticulture Deptt hosts series of farmers’ awareness camps

Jammu : To create awareness among the farming community for plantation of fruit crops in the rainy season, the Department of Horticulture Jammu Thursday conducted a series of farmers awareness cum interaction programmes at Tung, Dhanu, Hundwal and Bhagani, the far flung areas of block Bhalwal.
All the programmes were chaired by Chief Horticulture Officer Jammu S. Sarbjeet Singh, and District Level- Subject Matter Specialist (Pomology) Jammu Sandeep Gupta, HDO Bhalwal Sandeep Sharma besides large number of farmers including women, Sarpanch & PRI members of the area participated.
While addressing a large gathering of farmers in the programmes, the Chief Horticulture Officer said that the objective behind organizing camps is to promote awareness among our farming community regarding the various schemes of the department. He urged farmers that the rainy season is going on and this is the most suitable time for planting fruit crops in order to establish new orchards. He said that being a kandi belt, in addition to traditional crops, the farmers can go for plantation of exotic fruit crops like Dragon fruit in the area. The department is providing a good incentive on the plantation of Dragon fruit which starts bearing fruits in the second year and comes in commercial bearing in the third year. Being a crop of high medicinal value, it is in great demand and it is fetching a good price in the market. Further, he impressed upon farmers to establish Custom Hiring Centres / Farm Machinery Banks wherein the department is providing 40% to 80% subsidy which will ultimately generate employment opportunities for the youth.
DLSMS (Pomology) Sandeep Gupta elaborated in detail about the various schemes of the department in vogue. He urged farmers to adopt integrated farming in their fields and avail the benefits on different components viz: Bore Well, water harvesting tanks, Drip irrigation, Mechanization, protected cultivation, tools & implements etc. for upliftment of their socio- economic status. He also sensitized the farmers about insect-pest diseases such as mango hopper, mealy bug, leaf miner etc, control of fruit drop, technical operations and measures to be adopted in the orchards by the farmers .
Horticulture Development Officer, Bhalwal Sandeep Sharma carried out the proceedings of all the programmes. He ensured that a minimum 100 hectares of area will be covered under plantation during the ensuing rainy season in Bhalwal wherein forty thousand fruit plants shall be planted.