Samba, | Sept: 24:Deputy Commissioner Samba Ayushi Sudan, Thursday flagged off a batch of 90 farmers from Ghagwal and Rajpura blocks for a training-cum-exposure visit within the UT of Jammu & Kashmir under the centrally sponsored Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) scheme.
Out of the total target of 550 farmers to be covered under the capacity-building initiative, the present group constitutes the second batch of 90 farmers and prominently includes farm women.
During the exposure visit, the farmers will visit the Food and Vegetable Craft Centre, Chand Nagar, Jammu, where they will learn about the latest techniques in fruit and vegetable processing and value addition of farm produce. The group will subsequently visit the Mega Fruit Plant Nursery, Chakroi, for hands-on exposure to critical nursery practices, including plant propagation, fertigation and scientific orchard management.
While flagging off the tour, the Deputy Commissioner advised the farmers to make the most of the exposure visit by acquiring knowledge of modern technologies and adopting scientific practices in various horticulture operations in their own orchards. She also emphasized the importance of farm women gaining proficiency in scientific food processing techniques to facilitate value addition at the household and community levels.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Horticulture Officer Anil Kr. Gorka, emphasized the need for farmers to actively learn and adopt modern horticulture practices for enhancing efficiency and productivity.
District Level Subject Matter Specialist (DL SMS) Raivati Raman Sharma also encouraged the farmers to acquire updated technical knowledge to improve the quality and market value of their farm produce.
The touring batch is being accompanied by Horticulture Development Officer (HDO), Ghagwal Davinder Singh, who will facilitate and guide the farmers during the field learning sessions.
