Excelsior Correspondent
AKHNOOR, July 7: The Department of Horticulture Jammu organised a Capacity Building-cum-Training programme for farmers, especially targeting the empowerment of women-at Pargwal under the chairmanship of MLA Akhnoor, Mohan Lal Bhagat.
The event witnessed the presence of Director Horticulture Jammu, Gul Sayed, Chief Horticulture Officer Jammu, Rakesh Kotwal, District level Subject Matter Specialist, Rakesh Bhagat and Horticulture Development Officer, Khour Sub Division Amit Saraf.
The programme drew a large number of farmers from the area, with especially enthusiastic participation from women folk. The strong turnout reflected the keen interest among local farming communities to adopt modern practices and value addition techniques. An on-spot demonstration was conducted for the participants on making pickle, jam, squash, and other value-added products
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Akhnoor stressed the importance of setting up small-scale fruit processing units in the block, especially for women and unemployed youth. He said such initiatives would not only make them self-reliant but also generate employment opportunities for other unemployed people in the area. He asked the youth and women of Pargwal to adopt modern horticulture practices, and avail themselves of Government support for entrepreneurship development.
Director Horticulture spoke on various Government schemes for the welfare of farmers. He highlighted the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), and other centrally sponsored schemes.
MLA Akhnoor distributed fruit plants among the participants to promote orchard development in the region. He also ceremoniously handed over the keys of tractors to the beneficiaries under the HADP scheme, marking a significant step towards farm mechanisation in the area.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
