Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 14: Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Navin Kumar Choudhary, today awarded the Basmati Growers with Certificate of Quality and pesticide residual safety in a farmers meet at Krishi Bhawan, Talab Tillo here.
Speaking on the occasion, Principal Secretary informed that 184 samples of Basmati Rice from Basmati growers of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts were tested for pesticide residue by the Quality Control & Quality Assurance Division of Indian Institute of Integrative e-Medicine (CSIR) Canal Road Jammu to confirm the purity of prestigious Jammu Basmati Rice. The samples have been certified as safe for pesticide residue.
While releasing the report issued by IIIM in this regard, Navin Choudhary said that this report will be shared with Agriculture and Processed Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and other relevant forums for promoting and popularizing the Jammu Basmati and further removing the bottlenecks in trouble-free export of Basmati-370.
Director, Agriculture Jammu, lnder Jeet, informed that approximately 85,000 to 90,000 farming families are involved in Basmati cultivation in three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua. Of which, 90 percent are small and marginal farmers having low investment and risk bearing capacities. He said that this honour will boost growers’ morale for their persistent pursuit in quality obedience besides paving way in raising the economic status of Basmati growers.
Prominent farmers including Rajinder Sharma, Majua Bishnah; S. Tajinder Singh, Jammu; Kesar Parveen, Jammu; Kewal Krishan, Kathua; Sushant Sharma, Kathua interacted with the Principal Secretary and raised several issues which inter alia included promotion of Direct Seeded Rice, Establishment of Custom Hiring Centres, Formation of Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) in mushroom and bee-keeping, exposure visit of farmers outside the UT, irrigation canal, agricultural machinery, promotion of contract farming, installation of Solar Irrigation pumps, marketing of sugarcane.
The Principal Secretary assured the farmers that all their issues would be looked into for redressal.
Joint Director Agriculture (Inputs) Anil Nargotra; Joint Director Agriculture (Extension) B K Chandan; Joint Director SLUB Daisy Bhan; Deputy Director (Central), Inderjeet Singh, Agriculture Economist, K K Sharma, Technical Officer to Principal Secretary APD, Vijay Upadhay, Agronomist (Vegetables), A S Reen; CAO Jammu, F A Bhat; CAO Samba, Sanjay Verma were also present on the occasion.
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