Excelsior Correspondent
Rajouri, June 6: Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir today dedicated a Mobile Plant Health Clinic Van (MPHC) to the farmers of the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri .
The Plant Health Clinic, fitted in the Van will provide technical and clinical help to the farmers of the two border districts to Poonch district and serve as an early warning system for detection of diseases & pests to avoid yield losses. Besides, it will also help in collecting location specific useful information of diagnosis and surveillance at the door steps of the farmer to improve their decision making capacity.
Minister of State for Health (Independent Charge) Shabir Ahmed Khan was also present at the occasion.
Interacting with the Sarpanchs, progressive farmers and officers of Agriculture Department on the occasion, the Minister said that the new initiative of MPHC Vans has been taken under the innovative component of the “Macro Management of Agriculture scheme” which would help the farmers to detect different diseases of the crops at early stage so that necessary steps would be taken to control these within time. He added that the MPHCs have been introduced keeping in view the needs of the farmers of far flung areas of Rajouri and Poonch Districts who are unable to utilize the services of static Plant Health Clinic. He said that the MPHC vans would provide free diagnostic service to the farmers at their doorsteps.
Mir directed the officers of the department to spare no efforts to achieve the objective of the Mobile Plant Health Clinics to provide on spot diagnosis of crop disorder and recommendations of remedial measures based on IPM pattern.
The Minister said that the Department was making all out efforts to provide good quality seeds, machinery and equipments and ensuring supply of fertilizers in every nook and corner of the State.
Minister of State for Health impressed upon all the farmers to come forward and get benefitted by the schemes of the Department. He said the Government is making all out efforts to improve the socio-economic condition of the farmers and new and innovative schemes and machinery are being introduced for increasing the production and productivity in hill agriculture.
Director Agriculture Jammu, Ajay Khajuria and Deputy Commissioner Rajouir F C Bhagatd also spoke on the occasion.
Earlier Mr Mir distributed soil health cards to farmers after inaugurating one day awareness programme organised by Department at village Sangrampur in Marh block.
MLA Marh Choudhary Sukhnandan was also present.
About 500 panchs, sarpanchs and farmers including women participated in the programme.
Speaking on the occasion Mr Mir said that the village wise soil analysis of the whole block has been conducted by the Department and about 11,560 farming families are being provided with the soil health cards in the block leading to 100 percent coverage under the scheme.
He said that a great need is felt in recent times to stress upon the farmers for doing agriculture on scientific lines and in a planned manner to make it a profitable profession so that the youth who are shirking away are attracted towards it for its sustainability.
Choudhary Sukhnandan said that soil fertility mapping of Block Marh is an appreciable step of the Department which will help the farmers to a great extent.
Director Agriculture Ajay Khajuria also spoke on the occasion.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel