Ramban produces 866.3 metric tons of Anardana

Ramban, Oct 9: 866.3 Metric tons of Anardana (wild sour pomegranate) was produced in the Ramban district during the year 2022-2023.

Horticulture department officers said around 1350 farmer families are involved in the collection of wild pomegranates from the forest and trade of Anardana for generating their annual income.

Anardana (Punica granatum ) is a small wild fruit-bearing tree spread over 365.75 hectare land on hills, and slopes in Champa, Batote Peera, Chanderkote, Ramban, Kanga, Gandhari, Dhramkund, Sangaldan in Ramban district.

The fruit was harvested in September /October and its seeds were sun-dried to make Anardana. It was used in the preparation of food,( Chat, Chatni). The rind of the wild pomegranate is also sold in markets and it was used in making medicines.

It is high in demand in markets.

Horticulture department officers said the dehydrated; Anardana seeds are acidic help in digestion and are high in minerals

Area Marketing Officer Horticulture, Sunil Bakshi said,”We are highlighting the economic achievements of horticulture and allied sector schemes besides sensitizing both educated and uneducated youth who are unemployed. He stresses that unemployed youths use modern techniques that prove fruitful.”

Marketing units scheme under which youth have started their units in the area. “Under this scheme, youth will purchase the product directly from the farmers and sell it to the consumers and this scheme would help in employment generation and youth will become job providers,”he said.

Earlier in 2022, Gramin Vikas Trust New Delhi (NGO) in collaboration with NABARD, Ramban had organised a training programme regarding the formulation and working of Farmers’ Producer Organisations (FPOs) of Anardana at Block headquarters Sangaldan to ensure the doubling of farmers’ income.

Resource persons have imparted the training to the Board of Directors and FPOs of Sangaldan Tatta Pani Agro Producer.

The experts and agriculture resource persons educate the farmers about the techniques and ways to improve the marketing of their farm produce to earn a better income.

They made the farmers aware of entrepreneurship in organic farming, apiculture, etc which can lead to the doubling of income for farmers.

Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, encouraged the farmers to acquire the skills of fruit preservation, which can fulfil the needs at home scale and establishment of entrepreneurship for economic gains/earnings.