Punjab farmers on 5-day visit to J&K

CHANDIGARH: Punjab horticulture minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra is leading a delegation of progressive farmers on a five-day exposure visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
The delegation will explore potential fruit and flower crops, mulberry varieties for silk production, and new techniques for implementation in Punjab’s Shivalik foothills and the kandi belt.
To expose Punjab’s farmers to alternative horticultural practices and crops, potentially diversifying and improving the state’s agricultural output, the minister, along with farmers, gathered diverse information during visits to various horticulture-related centres in the valley.
During the visit, the horticulture department of Srinagar shared vital information about cultivating horticultural crops relevant to Punjab, using new technologies and improving future horticulture standards in the state. The officials also provided details on low-chilling varieties of pear, peach, plum and apple as well as establishing silk reeling units.
Jouramajra said Punjab govt was encouraging the state’s farmers to move away from traditional crop cycles and cultivate more profitable fruits and flowers suitable for the current times, adding that the tour would prove significant in advancing this initiative.