Chenani, June 08: The CSIR Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, continuing with its outreach under the flagship initiative of CSIR Floriculture Mission conducted a training workshop on scientific crop production, management and post-harvest processing for the farmers of Chenani and Udhampur.
85 farmers participated in the programme who were informed about the various methods and practices for raising floricultural crops under open field conditions. The participating farmers were also provided with quality marigold seed material. The event was conducted with the active coordination of Department of Agriculture, Jammu.
Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director CSIR IIIM while speaking to our correspondent said that Marigold flowers holds significant economic potential in J&K for its tremendous demand and use as religious offering in the temples, spiritual events and other sacred places. In anticipation to the huge demand in the upcoming religious festivities like Dussehra and Diwali, we are taking proactive steps to provide farmers of the UT, with high quality marigold seed and planting material to meet the demand with locally produced flowers. The farmers benefited under the Mission tapped substantial proportion of the market demand during the last season and we are sure that in coming years the entire requirement for flowers will be met by farmers of UT, he added.
Dr Shahid Rasool, Nodal Scientist, Floriculture Mission stated that in our endeavor to maximise the resource use efficiency and factor productivity from the crop lands for increased income generation while maintaining good soil and crop health, we strive to leverage and impart scientific knowledge and technical expertise to farmers being benefited under the various verticals of the Mission. He added that engaging farmers through conduct of such programmes in different areas of the UT has resulted in enhancing the knowledge of farmers besides their capacity to produce quality crop yields and fetch better returns.
During the technical sessions, Dr Iqra Farooq, Senior Project Associate, CSIR IIIM gave a detailed presentation that covered various aspects of marigold cultivation, including soil preparation, seed sowing techniques, optimal irrigation methods, pest disease management, and post-harvest handling. The participating farmers were also informed to practice staggered sowing to ensure consistent and sustained generation of quality flowers. Interacting with the farmers Tajinder Singh Wazir, Member Kisan Advisory Board, Jammu and Kashmir emphasized on the need for continuous learning and adaptation to evolving agricultural challenges, urging farmers to benefit from the resources and expertise available to them through CSIR Floriculture Mission for sustainable growth and prosperity in the sector. Earlier while welcoming the participants, Sandeep Singh, AEO, Chenani appreciated the concerted efforts of CSIR-IIIM in spearheading initiatives aimed at empowering farmers and fostering agricultural innovation. He underscored the significance of collaborative endeavors between research institutions, line departments and farming communities, emphasizing the transformative impact such efforts can have on rural livelihoods.
The outreach received overwhelming response from participating farmers, who expressed gratitude for the support provided by CSIR-IIIM and highlighted the value of the technical guidance in understanding the modern agricultural practices.
