POONCH: With the objective of empowering women through skill development, promoting entrepreneurship and generating sustainable self-employment opportunities in the horticulture sector, the Department of Horticulture Poonch hosted a five-day exposure-cum-training tour for local women trainees to Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu), the State Institute of Food Technology (SIFAT) Ludhiana and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)-Ludhiana.
The tour was flagged off by ADC Tahir Mustafa Malik in presence of Chief Horticulture Officer (CHO) Uttam Lal; MCC Nayaz Ahmed; HDO Chandak J.P. Singh and GSA Anjna Sharma.
During the five-day programme, the trainees will gain practical exposure to modern technologies and scientific techniques related to the processing and preservation of fruits and vegetables, including grading, sorting, packaging, storage, dehydration and other post-harvest management practices. They would also learn about the preparation of value-added products such as fruit juices, jams, jellies, pickles, squashes, dried fruits, vegetable-based products and other processed food items, subject to the facilities and demonstrations available at the respective institutions.
The exposure visit will familiarise the trainees with modern processing machinery, food safety standards, hygienic handling practices, packaging techniques and methods for extending the shelf life of horticultural produce. Interaction with subject experts and demonstrations at these premier agricultural and food technology institutions will help them understand how locally available fruits and vegetables can be converted into marketable products with greater economic value.
The key objective of the initiative is to transform women trainees into potential entrepreneurs and encourage them to establish small-scale fruit and vegetable processing units, spice-processing units, preservation enterprises and other home-based or community-level businesses. The training is expected to equip participants with practical knowledge that can help them explore self-employment opportunities, develop market-oriented products and contribute to household income.
The programme also seeks to address post-harvest losses by promoting scientific handling, processing and preservation of horticultural produce. By encouraging value addition at the local level, the Department aims to improve farmers’ returns, create livelihood opportunities for rural women and strengthen the horticulture-based economy of District Poonch.
