Excelsior Correspondent
KARGIL, Sept 18: Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor LAHDC, Kargil Feroz Ahmad Khan in presence of the Executive Councillor for Agriculture Muhammad Ali Chandan convened a meeting with the visiting team of scientists from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH) Srinagar here.
Principal Scientist and In Charge Head, Division of Fruit Science, ICAR, CITH Srinagar Dr Om Chand Sharma, Former Director Research, SKUAST (K) Shalimar Srinagar Dr. Muhammad Saleem Mir, Principal Scientist and Head, RRS, ICAR, Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Leh Dr. Anurag Saxena, Senior Scientist and In Charge Mountain Agriculture Research and Extension, SKUAST (K) Kargil Dr. Faizan Ahmed, Scientist (Fruit Sciences), ICAR-CITH Srinagar Dr. Wasim Hassan Raja, F&AO, ICAR-CITH Srinagar Fayaz Ahmed Dar, Senior Scientist (SS) ICAR-CITH Srinagar Dr. Javid Iqbal Mir, District Horticulture Officer Ali Raza, Senior Scientist and In Charge KVK Kargil Dr. Muhammad Mehdi Akhone and Progressive Apricot Farmer Akhone Asgar Ali Basharat were present in the meeting.
The team of scientists from ICAR and the CITH Srinagar on the directions of Director ICAR-CITH Srinagar had called upon the CEC, LAHDC Kargil for finding possibilities of research support for apricot development in the district.
The meeting deliberated upon the need for research support for promotion, production and processing of apricot in the district.
The District Horticulture Officer Kargil and the scientists from Kargil presented the current status of apricot production in the district.
CEC said that if the right kind of intervention is made timely, the apricot industry in Kargil can be developed easily on the pattern of the apple industry of Kashmir further adding that apple farming in Kashmir was revolutionised by the introduction of various modern technological interventions.
The team of scientists informed the CEC about the specifications required for establishment of various research institutes.
EC Agriculture Muhammad Ali Chandan and Former Director Dr Saleem Mir also expressed their views.
The visiting team deliberated upon the feasibility for establishment of a National Research Center, Regional Station, Center of Excellence, upgradation/ strengthening of existing research centres like KVK/SKUAST etc and also asked the District Horticulture Officer to submit more statistics in this regard.
They stated that the importance of promotion of apricot farming and the need for research support was paramount for the ICAR-CITH and that they have come to Kargil with specific directions from the Director ICAR-CITH towards finding all possibilities towards achieving this goal.
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