ADDC Kishtwar reviews performance of Agriculture, allied Sectors

Kishtwar: Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Kishtwar, Sham Lal, on Tuesday chaired a meeting to evaluate the progress and functioning of the Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal and Sheep Husbandry departments in the district.
Joint Director Planning, Mohammad Iqbal; CAO, Amjad Hussain Malik; CHO Sajid Mustafa; LDM Pankaj Bhadani, besides representatives of agriculture & allied departments attended the meeting
During the meeting, the focus was on devising a comprehensive Action Plan and implementation of different interventions at the ground level to facilitate development of agricultural and allied sectors.
The ADDC emphasized the need to adopt a range of hard, soft, and technological interventions to significantly enhance income of farmers associated with agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, sheep husbandry, fisheries and sericulture sectors.
To ensure seamless farming operations, the availability of sufficient quantities of seeds and fertilizers was stressed upon by the ADDC. The Agriculture Department was directed to ensure the availability of superior quality seeds that meet prescribed standards.
Regarding the on-going Kisan Sampark Abhiyan training program under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), it was reported that 125 panchayats out of 136 have been covered, benefiting 19,822 farmers through proper guidance and training. The remaining panchayats are scheduled to be covered by or before 31st August 2023.
To reach out to every farmer, the stakeholders were directed to involve Self-Help Groups (SHGs), cooperatives, and farmers in the process.
The implementation of PM Kissan and the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme) was also reviewed. The ADDC emphasized the importance of ensuring adequate coverage for farmers and spreading awareness about the benefits of the scheme.
Furthermore, the progress of various schemes under the Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal, and Sheep Husbandry Department was reviewed. The concerned officers were urged to work in coordination to achieve the set targets, with a report on the achieved goals to be submitted by 4th of August 2023.
Special attention was given to geographically indicated tagging of local products like Rajmash and Saffron in the district. The ADDC instructed the Chief Agricultural Officer to collaborate with SKUAST Jammu to expedite the process.
The Animal and Sheep Husbandry departments were directed to devise an action plan for enhancing Milk and Mutton production in the district and submit the plan to the ADDC’s office for further actions.
Additionally, the status of the National Livelihood Mission in the district was also reviewed during the meeting.