| Growers to get info on weather forecast, use of high-quality plants via Centres of Excellence | | To provide risk cover, Govt to introduce new crop insurance scheme for fruit growers: Mufti | |  Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 3: Emphasizing upon introduction of weather-based crop insurance scheme for all fruits, in particular apple, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today directed the Horticulture Department to make a big push for popularizing high-quality fruit plants to enhance export of fruits from the State.
While chairing a high-level meeting of Horticulture Department, here today, Chief Minister observed that our orchards need a complete makeover so that both crop yield and quality of fruit match standard benchmarks.
Minister for Horticulture, Haj & Auqaf, A. R. Veeri, Minister for Public Works, Gardens & Parks, Syed Altaf Bukhari, Minister for Finance, Dr Haseeb A Drabu, Minister for Agriculture Production, Ghulam Nabi Lone, Chief Secretary, Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary, Planning, B R Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, B B Vyas, Commissioner / Secretary, Agriculture Production, MA Bukhari, VC SKUAST, Kashmir, and other senior officers of Horticulture and Agriculture Departments were present on the occasion.
Referring to the huge damage suffered by the Horticulture sector in last year's floods, the Chief Minister said an effective mechanism has to be worked out for providing weather-based crop insurance, in particular to apple orchardists, so that some sort of financial security and risk cover is extended to them.
He also passed instructions for making assessment of damages to crops suffered due to hailstorm yesterday in Tral, Dachnipora, Shangus and Khuripora areas in Pulwama and Anantnag districts.
In order to improve quality and boost exports from the State, Mufti Sayeed also issued directions for a new Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for procurement of C-grade apples and pear.
Calling upon the department to rejuvenate the senile orchards, the Chief Minister emphasized upon certification of fruit farmers who grow top grade apples. Stressing upon import of high-density fruit plants from Europe for propagation, the Chief Minister directed the department to ensure that disease-free plants are provided to fruit growers, only after these are quarantined and scientifically vegetated in the Government nurseries. Asking the Department to focus on use of best practices and latest technologies in improving quality and yield of fruits, the Chief Minister said establishment of two Centres of Excellence in Horticulture sector under Indo-Dutch Action Plan will sensitize the fruit growers about high-quality plants, micro-irrigation, high-tech green house technology, tissue culture and weather forecasting. Chief minister was informed that the Government has also proposed rejuvenation of 3350 ha of senile orchards, besides additional area expansion of 4601 ha under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
The Chief Minister was also informed about the project proposal for establishment of Model Villages for apple, mango, kinnow and apricot fruits in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh Divisions respectively.
To begin with, the MIS will be introduced in Sopore (Baramulla) and Shopian towns, the main apple-growing centres in Kashmir, and Ramnagar (Udhampur) and Rajouri that grow pear in a large quantity in Jammu Division, the Chief Minister was informed. |
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