Kupwara, Oct 15: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo today inaugurated the Rabi campaign 2022-23 at Maha Kisan Sammelan held at Kuligam here.
Addressing the huge gathering of farmers at the Samellan, Atal Dulloo highlighted the importance of various long-term initiatives to help the farmers double their income. He appreciated the role of PRIs for working as a bridge between the department and the farming community in ensuring the successful implementation of the department’s schemes.
ACS said that the objective of organising this campaign is to review and address the crop performance during the proceedings of the crop season and crop-wise targets for the Rabi season, ensure the supply of critical inputs and facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies with a view to enhancing production and productivity of the crops. He said that agro-ecological-based crop planning and diversification to achieve self-sufficiency in oil seeds, pulses and other agricultural crops should be the priority.
Dulloo remarked that the department is endeavouring to ensure that more and more farmers are benefited with the departmental schemes so that their socio-economic transformation could be achieved. He said the schemes are formulated in such a way that more and more educated youth are attracted towards the agriculture sector.
While talking about Rabi Campaign, the ACS said that the department is taking all efforts to ensure that maximum area is brought under the cultivation of Rabi crops and farmer’s income is increased.
Dulloo further highlighted that in order to ensure the economic security of small and marginal farmers, the department is taking some special initiatives including an integrated farming system, special programs for rain fed areas among others. The ACS said that agriculture mechanization is another focus area and steps are being taken to provide affordable agriculture machinery to farmers.