Excelsior Correspondent
ANANTNAG, Sept 4: In a huge step aimed at adopting good agricultural practices for producing high-quality fruit, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today travelled all the way to a sleepy hamlet of Bamdoora to inaugurate the state’s first-ever high-density apple orchard, set up by Khurram, a young Valley-based entrepreneur.
He urged fruit growers to shift to high-density orcharding to enhance apple production, for greater economic returns on their yield. “Government will diversify horticulture by adopting newer techniques and best practices to survive the onslaught of emerging markets in and outside the country,” he said while handing out an assurance to fruit growers, who had gathered in large numbers at the Model Apple Orchard.
Calling upon the farming community to join the pursuit of making Kashmir the ‘Fruit Valley of the World’, Mufti Sayeed said if only 20 per cent of our orchards take up high-density farming over the next five years, the Rs.3000-crore industry will expand five times to a staggering figure of Rs. 15,000 crore.
Referring to the difficult times the Valley has gone through in the last two-and-a-half decades, the Chief Minister credited the fruit growers in horticulture sector and craftsmen in the handicraft industry for sustaining the state’s fledgling economy.
Asking the people to feel the change happening on the ground, the Chief Minister said he sets his goals and prefers achieving them silently. He said the people in the state have suffered a lot and deserve peace dividend in the form of sustained development and fair and accountable administration. “It is not in my nature to fight. I don’t like to win fights and lose friends,” he stated.
Recognising the efforts of youngsters like Khurram in diversifying in the revenue-generating horticulture sector, Mufti Sayeed said change won’t come unless fruit growers are convinced about rejuvenating their orchards by high-density farming.
Asking the agricultural universities to come out of their “cocoons” and take test results of their research on ground, the Chief Minister said it is ironical that a young boy has taken the lead and shown farmers the way in adopting good agricultural practices. “What Khurram has done at Bamdoora was actually the job of scientists in our universities, whose research-based experiments are heavily funded by the Government,” he said and directed SKUAST to actively involve itself in popularising high-density orchard system amongst fruit farmers.
Equating the potential of horticulture sector with that of tourism, Mufti Sayeed said fruit industry will be promoted in a flagship mode by laying a sound network of modern mandis and CA stores.
Minister for Horticulture, A. R. Veeri, in his address, said J&K is state with limited resources whose economy primarily depends upon tourism, handicrafts and horticulture sectors. He said the Government is vigorously pursuing policies that will provide more economic return to the fruit growers for their produce.
In a bid to familiarize fruit growers with good agricultural practices, the Horticulture Minister said Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture will set up two high-density apple orchards at Anantnag and Baramulla districts. “SKUAST will also set up Demonstration Centres in all the districts of the State,” he added.
Ch. Zaffar Ali, Vice Chairman of State Advisory Board for Gujjar & Bakerwal, MLAs, Farooq Andrabi and Abdul Rahim Rather, Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Muneer-ul-Islam, Director, Horticulture, Planning & Marketing, S. L. Hangloo, PDP South Coordinator, Mufti Sajad, District PDP President, Sheikh Javed, senior leader, Ab. Salam Reshi and several other senior officers were also present on the occasion.
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