Baramulla, May 22: District Development Commissioner (DDC) Baramulla, Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar on Monday inaugurated Honey Processing Cum Bottling Plant and Hi-Tech Polygreen House under Aspirational District Programme at Agriculture Extension Office Baramulla, here.
The processing and bottling plant, set up with award money at a cost of Rs 11.19 lakhs, is the first of its kind in the district and has the capacity to process and filter honey on a daily basis.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sehrish said that the plant will provide service to farmers on a no-profit basis. She informed that the district has a large number of beekeepers with an annual production of 800 quintals of raw honey. The plant will now enable the farmers to sell their honey as a marketable product and augment their incomes, she said.
Elaborating further, the DDC remarked that the much-needed plant will help in processing, filtering and bottling of honey thereby making its sale to a large extent.
After launching Varmul Honey Brand, the DDC said that the District Administration is committed to introducing the brand at the national and international levels. She also asserted that similar profit-oriented initiatives will be taken up in other areas also so that the plant will open many avenues for the farmers to market their products at large scale.
Later, the DDC inaugurated the 7th Hi-Tech Polygreen House set up at an estimated cost of Rs. 5 lakhs.
After inaugurating the playhouse, the DDC highlighted the importance of Hi-tech poly houses and said that to explore the potential in the vegetable sector hi-tech poly greenhouses will play a remarkable role.
She said that the Agriculture Department has established hi-tech poly greenhouses in the district to ensure round-the-year availability of seedlings of different vegetable crops to the farming community.
Dr Sehrish also highlighted the importance of integrated farming and asked the farmers to diversify their agriculture operations. “The District Administration is committed to raising the living standards of people. The District Administration will provide all the technical assistance to the farming community to comprehensively perform their agriculture activities,” she said.
Joint Director Planning, Mohammad Yousuf Rather and Chief Agriculture Officer, Yadvinder Singh besides others concerned were present on the occasion.
