 Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 26: In a significant initiative to strengthen farmers' knowledge and promote the cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs), MLA Nagrota, Devyani Rana, today flagged off a seven-day exposure visit of farmers to Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, from the Chief Agriculture Office, Jammu under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) - MAP Clusters.
The exposure visit comprises 50 farmers from Keri, Sarote, and Mathwar villages (MAP Cluster Mathwar) in Sub-Division Marh, Jammu, who will gain first-hand exposure to advanced technologies, scientific cultivation practices, value addition, processing, and marketing strategies related to medicinal and aromatic plants through interactions with experts, research institutions, and progressive farmers in Palampur.
The flag-off ceremony was attended by District Agriculture Officer, Jammu, Shri Vinod Khajuria, Subject Matter Specialist (District Level), Shri Munshi Ram Rukwal, Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer, Marh, Shri Khalid Hassan Tantri, Subject Matter Specialist (Sub-Division Level), Ms. Vishali Bagal, besides field officers and officials of the Agriculture Department.
Speaking on the occasion, Hon'ble MLA Ms. Devyani Rana emphasized the importance of exposure visits in equipping farmers with practical knowledge and innovative farming techniques. She said that the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme is transforming the agriculture sector by creating new opportunities for diversification, entrepreneurship, and higher farm incomes. She urged the participating farmers to actively engage during the visit, learn modern cultivation and post-harvest management practices, and disseminate the acquired knowledge among fellow farmers upon their return. She also appreciated the Agriculture Department for organizing such capacity-building initiatives for the farming community.
SDAO Marh Sh. Khalid Hassan informed that the exposure visit has been organized to enable farmers from MAP clusters to gain practical insights into successful cultivation models, quality planting material production, processing technologies, and market linkages. He expressed confidence that the visit would motivate farmers to adopt scientific practices and contribute towards the sustainable development of the medicinal and aromatic plant sector in Jammu district.
The participating farmers expressed gratitude to the Agriculture Department for providing them with the opportunity to visit reputed institutions and interact with experts, which would help them improve productivity, quality, and profitability of their farming enterprises.
The programme concluded with the flagging off of the farmers' contingent amidst best wishes from the dignitaries and officials for a productive and successful learning experience. |
