early times report
Poonch, Oct 17: Department of Agriculture and KVK Poonch jointly conducted One-day farmers’ training programme and Kisan Ghosti under the theme “Alternate Agriculture System for Sustainability” as a part of “Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP)” at Krishi Vigyan Kendra Poonch.
The programme was aimed at sensitizing and empowering farmers about organic cluster-based farming and sustainable agricultural practices registered under Organic Clusters belonging to Banpat, Karmara and Sathra panchayats.
The programme was graced by Dr. Ajay Gupta, Head KVK Poonch, who emphasized the importance of adopting organic and sustainable farming practices for improving soil health, reducing input costs, and securing premium markets for organic produce. Dr Ajay Gupta discussed in detail various steps in certification of organic produce, registration of farmers for organic production, documents required for registration, Responsibilities of Local Group and Regional council and peer review for obtaining PGS organic certification. Dr M A Guroo, Programme Assistant KVK Poonch gave a presentation on the marketing and branding of organic produce
The event was further enriched by the presence of Sh. Jog Raj Slathia, Chief Agriculture Poonch, who shared insights on departmental support, schemes, and technical guidance available for farmers to promote alternate agriculture system for sustainability. Sh. Devender, Singh SMS, Sh Tirath Singh, SDAO, Poonch, Sh Naresh Kumar, SCA, Poonch and other officers of department also addressed the gathering and provided practical knowledge on scientific methods to enhance productivity through organic means.During the training, the technical team shared practical recommendations including:
Use of vermicompost, FYM, Neem Cake and bio-fertilizers (Azotobacter, PSB, ZSB, Trichoderma) to improve soil fertility and application of neem-based bio-pesticides and pheromone traps for eco-friendly pest management. More than 90 farmers from the 3 organic clusters of Poonch and Sathra actively participated in the Training programme and shared their field-level experiences and challenges, while experts provided solutions and motivated them to adopt innovative and eco-friendly farming practices.
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