Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 22: Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Zulfkar Ali today chaired a meeting to discuss the process for establishment of Maize Procurement Centres in potential areas of the state by Food Corporation of India(FCI). The Minister sought district wise details regarding maize production, command area and sites for establishment of procurement centres (mandis) from the officers of Agriculture Department. The Minister was informed in the meeting that Rajouri produces about 1,10,713 MT maize every year including 80,640 MT in Poonch, 39,600 MT in Reasi, 9,039 MT in Samba and 65,379 MT in Kathua.
The Minster said that the Agriculture Department will provide logistical support to FCI for starting these procurement centres in the state on trial basis for the first time. The government has taken this step to make the state self-sufficient and reduce dependency on neigh-bouring states for procurement of food grains, paddy and maize, he added. The Minister said that all the nodal formalities would be completed shortly for opening maize procurement centres at Mankote, Mendhar, Harni, Surankote, Chalas, Lam, Siot, Dhangri, Doongi, Palangar, Billawar, Reasi, Pouni and Raipur-Domana.
He directed the officers to conduct awareness programmes on regular basis for educating the farmers about the benefit of selling maize to FCI and the farmers should be encouraged to take optimum benefit of various state and centrally sponsored welfare schemes. |
