SKUAST-K extends Outreach to Jammu, organises 7 skill trainings

Srinagar : Under the entrepreneurship and skill development programme of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Govt of India, SKUAST-K has been entrusted with skill development of youth and promotion of entrepreneurial ecosystem in J&K and Ladakh UTs.
For the year 2023-24, the agricultural university has been awarded more than 550 skill trainings to be conducted across the regions of J&K and Ladakh. In this endeavor, SKUAST-K’s Directorate of Planning & Monitoring, organised seven entrepreneurship awareness camps on ‘Branding and Marketing of Honey’ in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur districts for the entrepreneurs and rural youth.
Four programmes were conducted at Panchayat Level in Gagian in District Jammu, PanchayatRoun and Darsoo in District Udhampur, Panchayat-Utterbehni in District-Samba, whereas one programme was conducted at Village Rattian in Jammu district in collaboration with Department of Agriculture and Family Welfare, Jammu. Two programme were conducted in two Govt Degree colleges of District Kathua (Hiranagar and Marheen). All the Programmes were conducted with the overall supervision of Prof Haroon R. Naik, Nodal Officer (MSME)/Director Research, SKUAST-Kashmir. During the said programme, DrSushil Kumar, Associate Professor, SKUAST-K ande Course Coordinator of the programs highlighted the importance of branding and marketing of honey and the strategies involved like brand, identification, packaging design, targeted marketing, quality assurance, promotion and royalty programmes, regional and national event etc. He also said that the market for honey and honey-based products in India is still at a nascent stage and offers a huge potential for growth. DrYogesh Kumar, STA, SKUAST-Kashmir also highlighted the various Govt schemes for the promotion and marketing of honey and their products. The main aim of these programmes was to create awareness among the rural youths and farmers regarding the branding and marketing of the honey and to generate employment opportunities.