POONCH: Under the guidance of District Development Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma, the Department of Agriculture, Poonch organised a One-Day Kisan Mela under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) at the Agriculture Extension Office, Jhullas.
Assistant Commissioner Revenue Mohd Sayed inaugurated the programme, which focussed on promoting youth participation in agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors.
Chief Agriculture Officer Jograj Slathia stressed the need for greater farmer outreach and awareness about the opportunities available in the agriculture and allied sectors. He highlighted the importance of adopting modern, sustainable and climate-resilient farming practices to improve productivity and farm income. He urged farmers and youth to actively participate in departmental programmes, training activities and schemes and to take advantage of the technical and financial support available.
Addressing the gathering, the Assistant Commissioner Revenue highlighted the immense potential of the agriculture and allied sectors in generating employment, promoting entrepreneurship and strengthening the rural economy. He encouraged youth to adopt modern farming technologies, explore agri-based business opportunities and make optimum use of various government schemes and subsidies. He also emphasised the importance of moving towards value addition and market-oriented agriculture to make farming more profitable.
Subject Matter Specialist Charanjeet Singh Raina highlighted the growing scope of youth entrepreneurship in agriculture. He informed participants about various subsidised schemes through which eligible youth can establish startups and agri-based enterprises. He also made farmers aware of the ongoing Agri Stack initiative launched jointly by the Revenue and Agriculture departments and urged them to complete their PM KISAN e-KYC before the release of the next installment to continue receiving their benefit.
Officers of the Agriculture Department, the district heads of the Agriculture and allied departments and the Chief Scientist, KVK Poonch also participated in the event and interacted with farmers and youth, providing technical guidance, information about government schemes and advice on improved agricultural practices. The participants were encouraged to adopt new technologies and diversify their farm activities according to local opportunities. They were also encouraged to explore opportunities in horticulture, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, dairy farming, nursery development, food processing and other allied activities. It was further emphasised that agriculture offers opportunities not only in production but also in processing, packaging, marketing and value addition.
The Kisan Mela, organised by the staff of Sub-Division Poonch under the supervision and guidance of District Agriculture Officer (Ext) Raj Kumar and Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer Tirath Singh, witnessed enthusiastic participation from more than 300 farmers and youth and served as an important platform for knowledge sharing, awareness generation and capacity building.
The programme highlighted the Government’s commitment to promoting sustainable agriculture, encouraging youth entrepreneurship and improving the livelihood and income opportunities of the farming community in the district.
