Jammu, Oct 16: A two day training programme aimed at enhancing the skills of farmers and rural youth was successfully held on Wednesday at Baba Jitto Kissan Kendra, Krishi Bhawan, Talab Tillo Jammu.
The Divisional Soil Survey Scheme Directorate of Agriculture Jammu organised Training programme for 50 numbers of farmers under “Capacity Building Programme” component of HADP Project no. 19 (Jammu and Kashmir Soil and land Resource Information System) for the year 2024-25.
On the occasion, Director of Agriculture Jammu, Arvinder Singh Reen, emphasized the crucial role of soil health management for sustainable food security in future generations. “Soil testing is vital to curtail the irrational use of chemicals and fertilizers,” he stated, highlighting bio fertilizers and nano fertilizers as a promising alternative for enhancing soil health.
The Director Agriculture also announced that the Agriculture Department would provide drones to Women Self-Help Groups under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. This initiative aims to facilitate the efficient spraying of fertilizers and pesticides, ultimately saving time and improving both soil health and employment opportunities for women farmers.
Joint Director Agriculture (Extension). Satish Sharma underscored the significance of the training programme, while various experts shared their insights over the two days. Prof. Dr. Peeyush Sharma, Chief Scientist at the Advanced Horticulture Research Udheywala SKUAST-J, delivered a lecture on Sustainable Soil Health Management Practices, while other speakers included Aman Jyoti, who discussed the judicious use of fertilizers; Suresh Kumar Khajuria, Divisional Soil Survey Officer, who educated participants on the physical properties of soil; Neeraj Rajwal, Assistant Soil Chemist, who presented on the Soil Health Card Scheme; Dr. Aadil Rashid, Assistant Soil Survey Officer, who addressed land capability classification and its importance in land management; and Hardeep Singh, District Level SMS, who explained the benefits of integrated nutrient management.
A practical demonstration on soil sample collection and packing was conducted during the field visit, and Soil Sample Kits were distributed to participants on the concluding day. Similar training programmes will be organized in the coming weeks across the remaining nine districts of the Jammu Division
The programme was attended Deputy Director (Central) Ashwani Sharma, Deputy Director (Trainings) Alok Pandotra, Divisional Soil Survey Officer Suresh Kumar Khajuria, Agronomist (VIS) Vikas Padha, Assistant Entomologist Rajesh Verma and Deputy Manager SBI Varun Sharma, among others. The event proceedings were conducted by Programme Officer, Rajeev Katoch.
