Govt to focus on horticulture sector to raise farmers’ income

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 20

Considered the home of world’s famous varieties of fruits, Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a rise in horticulture produce from 1.83 metric tonnes (MTs) in 1972-73 to 24.94 lakh MTs (LMTs) in 2015-16, fetching a turnover of nearly Rs 6,000 crore. The horticulture sector provides direct and indirect employment to about 23 lakh people and has the potential for further growth. Keeping in view the role of horticulture in driving the state’s economy, the government had declared it a thrust area and was taking a number of steps to boost it, an official spokesman said.

During his recent visit to the state, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the Central government was committed to revamp the agriculture sector of the state by providing all possible financial support to double the farmers’ income by 2022.

The Union minister was informed by officials that 27 per cent of the farmers had been given soil health cards in the state to check fertility of the soil. He was further informed that the process of soil testing was in process and in coming months all remaining cards would be provided to the farmers.

Radha Mohan Singh directed speeding up of the process of soil testing, activation of all soil testing lab and collecting samples for the second round of the soil testing.

Meanwhile, J&K Minister for Horticulture Syed Basharat Bukhari said the horticulture sector had the potential to improve the socio-economic profile of the state. He said the government was taking steps to revamp and revitalise the sector in the state.

He inspected the soil and leaf testing lab and mobile soil testing lab at the Directorate of Horticulture, Kashmir, where a team gave demonstration of various tests conducted to track the health condition of plantation.