Srinagar, March 06: The Agriculture, Horticulture and Agribusiness Expert Committee of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) Kashmir held its first meeting hosted by its Convener Mr Ubair Shah at Industrial Growth Centre Lassipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
The meeting was chaired by Mr A P Vicky Shaw, Chair PHDCCI Kashmir. The other members who attended the meeting were General Convenor Mr Bilal Kawoosa, Mr Haleem Bhat, Er Bilal Ahmad Bhat and Expert Committee Co-Convenors Mr Nasir Rather, Fayaz Ahmad Bhat along with Deputy Director PHDCCI-J&K Iqbal Fayaz Jan.
Vicky Shaw invited the stakeholders to list the possible challenges of the agribusiness sector and suggest a way forward, an official statement issued here said.
He said UT administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has taken comprehensive measures for the development of agriculture and allied sectors and the Prof. Mangla Rai-led committee has done a tremendous job by suggesting a number of measures through a comprehensive report to increase the production, and quality in the UT and to raise the farmers’ income.
Ubair Shah while highlighting various issues said there is a need to discuss the supply chain of the apple sector in Kashmir and he along with his co-convenors explained the issues which are affecting it.
The committee suggested the corresponding mitigation strategies to overcome the identified issues and challenges. It devised a strategy for apple produce to reach their destinations with tailored air freight forwarding services and also to facilitate the smooth flow of fruit-laden trucks on Srinagar-Jammu NH44.
Er Bilal Bhat suggested that the authorities should be asked for direct road connectivity of the Lassipora industrial estate to NH44 and the nearby railway cargo terminals. He said there should also be the construction of a special apple transport corridor for the Kashmir region that would provide special passage and will ensure timely transportation of perishable crops to markets outside Kashmir. The committee also proposed Grid Connected Rooftop Solar (RTS) Scheme for CA Stores.
Later, the members had a detailed visit to the SuperFresh Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Cold Storage facility of Mr Ubair Shah which is providing the post-harvest and state-of-the-art grading & packing facility to apple growers. The facility is of advanced technology in CA with multiple chambers storage facility for fruits and vegetables.
The members also visited the pencil manufacturing unit of pencil slates for Hindustan Pencils ltd owned by Co-Convenor Fayaz Bhat and his Veneer Plywood Industry. It was decided that the expert committee will work towards skill enhancement of local manpower in CA storage, pencil manufacturing, and plywood manufacturing and will impart the skill to the local youth for creating livelihood avenues.
