Kishtwar, : Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar Sharma Monday chaired a meeting to review the implementation of the One District One Product (ODOP) and District as Export Hub (DEH) programmes in the district.
The meeting was attended by CEO KDA Kaiser Bhawani; GM DIC Mohsin Raza; DSEO/CPO Suresh Kumar Sharma; EO MC Mirza Mumtaz Iqbal; AD Handicrafts Pardeep Shan; CHO Sajid Mustafa; DAO Manzoor Ahmed; DIO NIC Faizal Khan; Manager JK Bank Cluster Head, besides other officers and representatives from various concerned departments.
The Deputy Commissioner directed the General Manager DIC and all concerned Heads of Departments to formulate a six-month action plan for effective implementation of the One District One Product initiative.
He directed the concerned departments to identify and include prominent local products such as Rajmash, Buckwheat and Red Rice in the district’s export product list. He further directed the preparation of a comprehensive flow chart covering the production, processing, packaging and marketing of these products to facilitate value addition and market linkages.
The Deputy Commissioner also directed the GM, DIC, to take up the matter with higher authorities and initiate efforts for organising capacity-building programmes in the district for stakeholders associated with the ODOP and DEH initiatives.
Highlighting the potential of organically produced buckwheat from the Paddar area, the DC observed that the produce is being supplied to other parts of the UT and the country at comparatively low prices, while processed buckwheat flour returns to the district at significantly higher rates.
He directed the GM, DIC and the Agriculture Department, Kishtwar, to sensitise and facilitate the FPO already functioning in Nagseni to undertake grinding and processing of buckwheat into flour locally. He stressed the need for proper packaging and marketing so that quality buckwheat flour is made available to buyers at affordable rates while ensuring better returns to farmers.
The DC further directed the Agriculture Department to register all farmers associated with the FPOs to strengthen their institutional linkages and ensure their participation in value-addition and market-oriented activities. He also directed the Cooperative Department Kishtwar and JKRLM to undertake awareness programmes and facilitate the registration of cooperative FPOs and SHGs to promote collective enterprise, processing and marketing of local products.
