SRINAGAR, AUGUST 11: Maintaining Horticulture as an exclusive domain of Kashmir and branding Jammu with Kanak and Macca ( Wheat and Main), the Jammu and Kashmir Government lead by PDP has reconstituted the State Horticulture Development Board appointing exclusively members from Kashmir valley.
As per old mindset ignoring a very large area in Jammu province suitable for promoting Orchards, successive Kashmir centric governments never wanted to bring such areas on the Horticulture map of the state and kept the Orchard/Horticulture monopoly for Kashmir. This mindset is the reason behind for not including any legislature or publicman from Jammu region worth to be appointed in the newly reconstituted J&K State Horticulture Board. It is yet another story that J&K government, as matter of state policy, never allowed in Jammu province entering the land under Horticulture cultivation as an orchard in revenue record.
As per a notification issued by the Government, Chief Minister will be the chairperson of the Board while Minister for Finance, Culture and Labour & Employment will be the Vice-Chairman. Minister of State for Horticulture, Floriculture and Parks, will be the member of the Board.
The other members of the Board include Mian Altaf Ahmad, MLA, M Y Tarigami, MLA, Mohammad Khalil Band, MLA, Javid Hassan Baig, MLA, Abdul Rahim Rather, MLA, Bashir Ahmad Dar, MLA, Chief Secretary, Administrative Secretary, Planning Development & Monitoring Department, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST Kashmir, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST Jammu, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Administrative Secretary, Finance Department, Advisor, Agriculture Marketing, Government of India, Chairman, APEDA, Administrative Secretary, Horticulture Department, Horticulture Commissioner of India, Managing Director, National Horticulture Board, Director, Horticulture (P&M), J&K, Director Horticulture Kashmir, Director, Horticulture Jammu, Managing Director JKHPMC Ltd and Khurram Mir, Horticulturist.
Nazir Ahmad Mir, Graduate Faculty, Department of Food Science, University of New Jersey, USA will be the Special Invitee to the Board.
The Board will guide formulation of policies governing integrated development of horticulture industry in the state and identifying short-term and long-term strategies as per the policies; have short-term and long-term plan, programmes and action plans prepared for achieving specific objectives and targets and prescribe a definite time-frame for achieving targets/objectives and also to review and monitor and oversee their implementation from time to time; take stock of all existing schemes both State and Central and to take decision on their continuance or otherwise, with or without such changes or modifications as may be considered necessary; devise and approve all major development programmes/ schemes of horticulture sector, find and sanction resources for implementation of such programmes/schemes including exploring possibilities of financing of capital intensive projects form external sources and financial institutions; consider and approve adoption of appropriate technologies and practices available within and outside the country; capacity building by way of visits to other parts of the country or abroad for acquiring necessary information, training and skills on advances in horticulture products and practices; consider and approve appropriate post harvest strategies and market mechanisms for the horticulture produce including development/strengthening of infrastructure within the State and outside in order to optimize returns to growers; putting in place end- to-end management of horticulture produce integrating production, processing and marketing; consider undertaking specific surveys, study research, etc; evolve and approve strategy for setting up fruit based industry in the State and consider/approve measures to promote such type of units; and bring about greater synergy between research (lab), extension and actual cultivation (land).
