Kishtwar, April 12: Director of Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare, Jammu S. Arvinder Singh Reen Saturday conducted a comprehensive two‑day tour of district Kishtwar to assess the performance of the Agriculture Department and engage directly with local farmers on the efficacy of various welfare schemes.
On the first day, Reen chaired a detailed review meeting with departmental officers and field staff in Kishtwar town. He emphasised the need to raise widespread awareness of ongoing farmers’ welfare programmes and examined progress under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and CAPEX budget projects. He instructed officials to ensure time‑bound completion and strict compliance with implementation guidelines.
Reen then visited saffron cultivation sites in Pochhal and the Berwar Saffron Farm, reviewing interventions aimed at boosting saffron output. He encouraged the team to strive towards making Kishtwar a leading saffron‑producing district. Subsequently, he inspected activities at the Zeera Research Farm in Atholi, Padder, urging officers to adopt a proactive approach to expedite ongoing projects. In Karthai village, the Director held an open dialogue with farmers, directing field officers to address grievances promptly. He advocated for the promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), value addition, branding and market‑linkage development to enhance farm incomes. He also proposed establishing model farming clusters in each panchayat, focusing on mushroom cultivation, beekeeping and protected vegetable growing, while highlighting local specialities.
On the second day, Reen hosted an interactive session with Kishtwar’s saffron growers. He listened to their challenges and assured full departmental support for infrastructure development, capacity building and robust market linkages. Addressing irrigation concerns, he committed to providing drip‑irrigation systems, sprinklers and borewells to improve water availability. He also urged growers to retain saffron corms for area expansion and announced departmental facilitation for corm procurement. During his visit, the Director inspected the Hi‑Tech Polyhouse at the SDAO Complex in Padder, developed under HADP, and reviewed progress at the Kissan Khidmat Ghar (KKG) in Gulab Garh under the Krishi Udyami initiative. He also interacted with Krishi Udyami participants during a training programme held in collaboration with RSETI at the AEO office, Kishtwar.
