Srinagar, Oct 18: Principal Secretary, Horticulture Department, Navin Kumar Choudhary, today inaugurated a Buyer- Seller meet-cum-Horticulture Mela organized by the Department of Horticulture Kashmir on the pattern of Sunday market in the premises of Directorate of Horticulture Rajbagh Srinagar today.
Director Horticulture Kashmir, Ajaz Ahmad Bhat and other concerned officers and officials were present on the occasion.
During the event, the fruit growers from across the Kashmir Valley displayed their products like various kinds of apple, walnut, almond, Chesnut and food products including jam and juice for sale through stalls. Around forty such stalls and various kinds of fruits and Farm/Plant Machinery besides organic fertilizer like vermi compost were displayed in the mela.
Principal Secretary along with Director Horticulture Kashmir made an extensive inspection of the stalls displayed and urged upon the sellers to keep reasonable price of the commodities for attracting more and more people to the event for direct benefit to the fruit growers. He said that such type of buyer-seller meets shall continue in future as well.
Later, Principal Secretary made a mention of new Scheme under the nomenclature “Operation Green’s Top to Total”, an initiative under Atmanirbhar Bharat. He explained the very objective of the scheme and urged upon officers and officials of the Department of Horticulture to make the growers aware about the scheme for ultimate benefits. He further asked them to get the growers registered under the scheme enabling them to reap its benefits. He also exhorted to avail the benefit under the scheme PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME) wherein subsidy for establishment of new food processing units and up gradation of existing food processing units is being provided.
Director Horticulture assured the Principal Secretary that staff down the line shall be mobilized to meet the objective of the programme in entirety and growers will be provided subsidy for fruit transportation to help farmers cut post harvest loss and avoid distress sale and be guided in registering them with Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI).
