Ramban, Apr 10: “CSIR Floriculture Mission is one such flagship programme being implemented throughout the country wherein area expansion under highly remunerative floriculture crops is being done for enhanced income generation for farmers and more opportunities of livelihood generation,” said Dr. Shahid Rasool, Nodal Scientist, CSIR Floriculture Mission, on Monday while informing about various initiatives of CSIR for farmer’s prosperity and regional development.
CSIR Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Ramban organised a one-day training and planting material distribution programme under CSIR Floriculture Mission under the patronage of Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director CSIR IIIM, Jammu at Mini Secretariat, Ramban.
In the event, 85 farmer-beneficiaries from different areas of the district were imparted training on commercial cultivation and post-harvest technologies for Cut and Loose flower cultivars. The farmers were also provided the quality planting material of Gladiolus and hybrid marigold seed.
At the outset of the programme Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Chief Agriculture Officer, Ramban welcomed the chief guest Mussarat Islam, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Dr Shahid Rasool, Nodal Scientist, CSIR Floriculture Mission, Officers of the Department of Agriculture and participating farmers.
He informed that the activities undertaken in the Mission are in conformity with the vision of Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh who has been ably guiding the initiative to ensure the inclusive development of the farmer of the region and the promotion of the agri-tech startup ecosystem. He gave a brief about the different verticals being implemented across the UT of J&K under the CSIR Floriculture Mission and its importance to bring about transformational change in the commercial floriculture sector of the region.
Highlighting the scope and the opportunities in the cultivation and multiplication of the commercial cut and loose flower varieties, considering the diverse edaphic and agro-climatic conditions in the entire Chenab Valley, he said Ramban being centrally located between Srinagar and Jammu can be leveraged for the supply of marigold during the peak demand seasons of religious tourism. He further informed that the deployment of CSIR technologies emphasizes on resource optimization and an integrated approach to farming practices for overall inclusive development in the farming sector.
In his initial remarks, Mussarat Islam, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, complimented the initiative of CSIR-IIIM for reaching out to the farmers of the far-flung areas of the district Ramban and informed that more than 60 percent of the households in the district derive their income and livelihood from the farming sector.
Making a mention of various farmer-oriented schemes of the government, he informed that the district administration in coherence with the line departments is always steadfast and strives for the delivery and assistance to the farmers.
