Over 5,000 hectare to be covered under hybrid maize: JK govt

A record area of about 40,000 hectares will be covered under the best hybrid varieties of maize available in the country, while around 5,500 hectares will be covered in Jammu Division under hybrid maize during the current Kharif season.
Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir today said this will go a long way in boosting the productivity and production of these crops and ensuring food security of the people.
Mir was interacting with a delegation of Progressive Farmers of Jammu Division and Women Mushroom Growers of R S Pura, who called on him here.
The farmers expressed great satisfaction over the arrangements made by the government for procurement of wheat by opening of Grain Procurement Centres by the FCI in collaboration with Department of Agriculture Jammu and CAPD.

They informed the Minister that due to this step the farmers were selling their wheat produced to the millers in the open market at around Rs 1,400 per quintal as compared to around Rs 1,150 per quintal during the last year.
The Minister directed the authorities of Agriculture Department to spread the typical technical messages and improved technology in other Basmati growing areas also through cluster approach under National Food Security Mission and create an impact in this regard.

He emphasised the need to adopt similar strategy for other programmes also and stressed upon launching new and innovative projects for specific areas taking into account for their specific needs.

It was also mentioned that traditional Basmati rice of Jammu was getting priority treatment by the department to improve its quality for enhanced exportability and at higher economic returns to the growers.
He said that to improve the organic matter content and quality of soils in basmati rice belt, about 850 quintal of sesbania (Dhaincha) seed has been provided by the Department to farmers on 75 per cent subsidy cost.
He said the department has intensified its efforts towards boosting the quality production of traditional high value Rajmash crops in the hilly areas by undertaking purification and refinement of seed and popularising good agronomic practices through demonstrations.

During the Kharif season-2013, 53.06 quintal seed has been provided to cover an area of 1,000 hectares against 22 quintal seed provided last year for coverage of 530 hectares under Rajmash Demonstrations.