Arora Chairs Department Related Standing Committee meeting

Reviews overall functioning of Horticulture Deptt

JAMMU, APRIL 10:  The meeting of Department Related Standing Committee (DRSC-IV) of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council was held here today under the Chairmanship of MLC, Ramesh Arora to review the overall functioning of Horticulture department.

Legislators, Ali Mohammad Dar, Saif-ud-din Bhat, Vibod Gupta and Showkat Hussain Ganai attended the meeting and highlighted various issues regarding further development of horticulture sector in the state.

Secretary, Horticulture, Manzoor Ahmed Lone briefed the Committee about overall functioning of the department besides physical and financial achievements registered by the department. He also briefed about various welfare schemes in place for welfare of farmers and fruit growers.

He said that Horticulture Sector plays an important role in the state and contributes significantly to the state economy besides being a source of livelihood for 33 lakh population; about seven lakh families are directly or indirectly involved and depend on the Horticulture Sector.

He further said that the department is developing six Model Fruit Villages including two Mango villages in district Jammu, two pecan nuts villages- one in Rajouri and one in Poonch, one apple village in Khirham Sirhama Anantnag and one Apricot village in Hardas Kargil. Additionally the development of 3 more model villages shall be taken up in 2018-19 including Model village of Anardana in Ramban, Model Village of Walnut in Rajouri and Model village of Mango in Kathua, he said.

Chairman of the Committee asked the senior officers of Horticulture department to take necessary steps for early completion of newly developing Model Fruit Villages and mandies in the state so that the farmer community and fruit growers would be benefitted.

Besides other issues including restoration of flood affected orchard area and its development, construction of solar driers in Leh and kargil and subsidy for setting up of cold storage facilities in Leh and kargil under PMDP besides functioning of nurseries, cold and CA storage, laboratories of the horticulture department in and outside the State also came under discussion.

The Committee directed the concerned officers for proper upkeep of existing Fruit and Vegetable mandies in the state for the convenience of the fruit growers and farmers. The Committee also sought a comprehensive detailed report on the working of existing mandies in the state in its next meeting.

Among others, Director, Horticulture Jammu, Aruradha Gupta, Managing Director, JKHPMC, Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, Chief Horticulture Officers of all districts, Special Secretary Council, Mohammad Ashraf Wani besides senior officers of Horticulture Department and Council Secretariat were present in the meeting.