Horticulture Department holds awareness programme in Akhnoor

Jammu: The Department of Horticulture Jammu organized an awareness programme at Panchayat Gurha Jagir in Block Akhnoor. The event was chaired by Chaman Lal Sharma, Director Horticulture Jammu, and attended by Chief Horticulture Officer Rakesh Kotwal, DLSMS Sandeep Gupta, HDO Akhnoor Varinder Sharma, and HDO Khour Amit Saraf.

The programme saw active participation, especially from unemployed youth, highlighting the community’s growing interest in agriculture. The Director shared details about various schemes available to farmers, including the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). He emphasized the benefits of these schemes for unemployed youth and women farmers, encouraging them to establish small-scale fruit processing units and form self-help groups to achieve self-reliance and create jobs locally.

Being a kandi belt, farmers were urged to take advantage of schemes supporting the creation of irrigation sources to improve farm productivity. The Director highlighted that the HADP offers modern tools and techniques to boost agricultural output and profitability.

During the event, the Director distributed sanction letters for tractors, drip irrigation systems, and irrigation pumps to beneficiaries under the HADP (Farm Mechanization & Automation).

Earlier, Chief Horticulture Officer Jammu, Rakesh Kotwal, welcomed the participants and shared updates on ongoing schemes. Farmers who benefited from departmental initiatives also shared their experiences and thanked the department for organizing the programme, which promotes sustainable farming and economic growth.