KULGAM: The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Kulgam today organized an awareness camp on Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM-FME) scheme at Block Kund here in collaboration with the Planning and Marketing department.

Local progressive farmers, self help group members, unemployed youth and representatives from different villages of Block Kund attended the awareness camp.

Officers from Agriculture and allied departments including District Agriculture Officer, Area Marketing Officer, Lead Bank Manager Kulgam, Agriculture Extension Officer and Horticulture Development Officer participated in the programme.

Sartaj Ahmad Shah, Chief Agriculture Officer while addressing the participants deliberated upon the benefits of the scheme and appealed to youth to come forward and establish food processing units to generate employment for themselves and for others in the food processing sector to sustain their livelihood.

He also informed the participants about the assistance and hand-holding support provided to the interested applicants and the various trainings provided to help and guide them at each level.

Dawood Ahmad Shad, District Agriculture Officer spoke about the importance of registering food processing enterprises, branding and marketing aspects to enhance the salability of the food products. He encouraged entrepreneurs to take benefit of the PM-FME scheme by availing facilities like 35% subsidy maximum up to 10 lakh and Easy Bank loan up to 90% of cost of Machinery and Technical Civil Works.

Officers from Agriculture and allied departments briefed about different components of the scheme viz. financial assistance, ODOP, Capacity Building, marketing and branding of processed/value added food products as an important intervention for sustainable development of the food industry.

At the end of the programme, many youth of the area showed their interest to establish micro food processing units and were registered under the PM-FME scheme on spot.