JK Govt. to walk extra mile in helping ventures :Omar

 Jammu, November 19 (Scoop News) – Emphasizing the need for making horticulture and agricultural activities lucrative, attractive and substantial, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Saturday called for motivating youth to seeking career in these fields.

            “This would not only help them earn a handsome livelihood but help in the economic growth of the State considerably”, he said adding that the sectors of tourism and handicrafts are equally rich in the potential of providing respectable and profitable self employment to the youth.

            Addressing a function after inaugurating Horti-Expo and Divisional Fruit Show at Kala Kendra here, the Chief Minister said that a State like Jammu and Kashmir which has great future in horticulture, agriculture, tourism, handicrafts and allied sectors is confronted with unemployment crisis calls for retrospection, awareness and reformative approach.

            “This is the area of concern needing focused attention”, he said and asked all the stakeholders including government departments to make youth aware of the potential available in these sectors for them to venture upon and bring economic prosperity to them and the State. He said there is something wrong which needs to be corrected so that the young and educated members of farming community, handicraft families, horticulturists, etc shun the inhibitions in taking up these practices for career and economic progress.

            Referring to the initiatives his Government has taken to give forward push to the horticulture sector in both the divisions of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh region, the Chief Minister said that he has recently approved raising of subsidy on micro and drip-irrigation facilities from 50% to 90% to achieve twin objectives of ensuring water harvesting and giving boost to the productivity and production of horticulture produce. “This will also provide opportunities for young people in rural areas to establish quality orchards utilizing drip-irrigation on 90% subsidy”, he added.

            Omar Abdullah said that during past some years there has been considerable increase in the production of food grains and horticulture produce. “To ease marketing and ensure comfortable remunerations for producers, I have directed the FCI for operationalzing all its Procurement Centres in the surplus areas and procure the rice and wheat from the farmers”, he said adding that establishment of 5 to 6 Procurement Mandies in these areas is in the pipeline. He said his Government is striving hard to achieve self sufficiency in agriculture produce and help smooth marketing of the surplus for economic benefits of the growers and the State.

            Omar Abdullah said that the horticulture produce especially apples, pears, walnuts, almonds, amla and other citric fruit varieties exhibited in the Divisional Fruit Show itself describes the growth and development of horticulture in Jammu division. He said we have to move further with determination and commitment to make this part of the State known for sub-tropical and temperate fruit production in the Country.

            Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Horticulture, Sham Lal Sharma said that the production of fruit in the State during the last year was 22.50 lakh tones while it stood at 13.50 lakh tones in 2008-09 adding that the State would achieve the target of producing 40 lakh tones of fruit in 2014.

            Sham Lal said that the Jammu and Kashmir has received leadership award in horticulture for the year 2011 for tremendous progress and achievements in the sector. He said under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah new initiatives have been put in place to give new dimension to the fruit cultivation and its marketing in the State. He said the keen interest of Omar Abdullah in the growth and development of horticulture has proved catalyst for the departments concerned to work hard and achieve new highs.

            Sham Lal said that besides popularizing new practices for the development of horticulture, the raising of new orchards at the rate of 10000 hectares per year have been fixed for the State. He said micro-irrigation is being introduced and orchardists provided with quality planting material for raising new orchards. He said that the drip-irrigation scheme approved by Omar Abdullah with 90% subsidy in favour of fruit growers is likely to increase the production by 30 to 40 percent.

            Minister for Revenue, Raman Bhalla, Minister of State for Horticulture, Javid Ahmad Dar and Vice Chairman Kissan Welfare Board, Rachpal Singh also spoke on the occasion while Legislator, M. Y. Taing and Vice Chancellor SKUAST, Jammu, Dr. Mishra were present.

            In his welcome address the Director Horticulture, Jammu, J. L. Sharma presented resume of the activities and achievements of the department in developing horticulture in the division. He said 1100 orchards of 28 improve varieties of Amla have been developed in the division and the production of walnuts has touched to about 40000 tones per annum.

            He said the area under horticulture has been raised to 1.09 lakh hectares in 2010-11 and the production of fruit has been of the order of 1.69 lakh tones.

            A large number of horticulturists from Jammu division had kept samples of different varieties of dry and fresh fruits including apples, walnuts, almond, amla, kiwi, kenu, orange, lemon, galgala, scarlet siberian, papaya, guava, sweet lemon, banana, quince apple, pickles, jams, juices and medicinal plants were on display in the show. Some 50 stalls of agricultural appliances, dip-irrigation, bio-fertilizers and insecticides were installed in the Expo in which 11 companies of national repute participated.