Sericulture Deptt to focus on empowering landless, tribal farmers in J&K

Jammu, Apr 18:  Director of Sericulture in Jammu and Kashmir, Ajaz Ahmad Bhat, undertook an extensive field tour of Silkworm Seed Stations, Mulberry Nurseries, and Farms across Ramban and Udhampur Districts. The tour aimed to assess the department's efforts in engaging landless, tribal farmers, and women in sericulture practices.

The tour commenced with a thorough examination of the District Sericulture Office in Ramban, followed by an in-depth inspection of its Mulberry Nurseries and farms spanning 29 Kanals of land adjacent to the Ramban Bus Stand. The Director emphasized the crucial role of leaf reserve availability and the assistance provided by the department to Silkworm Rearers, Farmers, Youth, and women for hassle-free and productive Silkworm Rearing, leading to increased cocoon production and dignified livelihoods.

In Ramban District, the Director discovered a network of nine Mulberry Nurseries spread across 300 Kanals of land with 40,000 mulberry plants. He also inspected the Silkworm Seed houses in Banihal and Batote, along with the Basic Silkworm Seed Station in Chareel Banihal, which are instrumental in producing and distributing High-Quality Silkworm Seed. These seed houses produce an impressive 2 lakh DFLs of F1 Silkworm Seed, supplemented by the Silkworm Seed Station in Chareel Banihal with an output capacity of 12,500 DFLs of P1 Silkworm Seed.

The Director also visited various Mulberry Nurseries and Farms in Udhampur District and inspected the Seed Grainage and Cold Storage at Kud, Udhampur, where upgradation works are underway at an estimated cost of Rs. 50 lakh. He stressed the timely completion of breeding operations at the Basic Seed Stations in Cherry, Sial Salan, and Pata, emphasizing the importance of utilizing the Pata facility for F1 Seed Production.

Highlighting the department's focus on engaging landless, tribal farmers, and women in sericulture practices, the Director stated that the Department of Sericulture provides every assistance and technical guidance to them to enhance their income generation capacity. He urged the officers and field functionaries to work dedicatedly and actively disseminate awareness about the department's facilities and assistance.

During his tour, the Director was accompanied by the District Sericulture Officers of Ramban and Udhampur, as well as other departmental officers.