'Redouble efforts for sustained growth of agriculture sector in JK: Ganai'

An advisor to Jammu and Kashmir governor Tuesday asked the agriculture department functionaries to introduce farming models that help increase farmers' income substantially.

The department should double their efforts for sustained growth of agriculture sector in the state, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai said at a meeting to review the functioning of agriculture, horticulture and floriculture departments here.

He also underscored the need for having dependable irrigation network.

Ganai referred to the historic agreement signed recently between J&K and Punjab governments on the implementation of Shahpur Kandi Dam project and said it would immensely benefit the districts of Kathua and Samba and parts of Jammu district through the 79.5 km Ravi Canal and 493 km distribution network.

It will irrigate 32,000 hectares of agricultural land in the Kandi areas, upstream and downstream along the Jammu-Pathankot national highway in Samba and Kathua districts, he said.

The advisor stressed on the promotion and better marketing of indigenous Basmati rice, which is famous across the world.

Regular awareness camps and training programmes should be carried out to acquaint the farmers with modern techniques for commercial agriculture, emerging trends in organic farming, processing, marketing and production aspects of different crops on scientific lines, Ganai added.

Issues such as fixation of MSP for basmati in the interest of about 92,000 basmati growers of the state, pesticide residual problem in Samba area, monkey menace causing damage to crops and promotion of local specialties like Rajmash and garlic in the respective areas along with market linkages were also discussed in the meeting, an official spokesman said.