Jammu, December 09: Director Agriculture Production & Farmer Welfare department, Jammu, K. K. Sharma today kick started the first picking of Seedless Cucumber (Jointer) being grown under protected cultivation here at Krishi Bhawan Talab Tillo. The different vegetable crops are raised here under Naturally Ventilated Polygreen House (NVPGH) structure using advanced vegetable cultivation practices for demonstration and popularization among the farmers.
The Director Agriculture also planted a Parijaat sapling in the Aromatic and Medicinal Unit on the occasion.
Joint Director Agriculture (Inputs) A. S. Reen; Joint Director (Apiculture & Mushrooms), Iqbal Singh; Joint Director (Marketing), Mahesh Verma; Agriculture Chemist, Subash Chander Sharma; CAO Kathua, Vijay Upadhaya; Assistant Botanist, Ambica Rani; Floriculture Development Assistant, Rohit Singh Ballowria; Manager JPAEF, Arun Jaral and Research Assistant, Manmohan Singh were present on the occasion besides others.
The Director Agriculture stressed upon the officers to motivate the farmers to go for the production of exotic and high value vegetables like Seedless Cucumber, Tomato, Red and Yellow Bellpeppers under protected and controlled conditions to get round the year production with high returns.
While inspecting the Vegetable and medicinal grow bags and trays, the Director instructed to scale up the production of the same to popularize these in the urban areas. He further said that every effort should be made to popularize high tech interventions by the department for doubling farmer’s income and attracting the educated unemployed youth towards agri-preneurship.
Agronomist Vegetable Improvement Scheme, J. C Raina apprised that the Seedless Cucumber is tender-skinned, requiring no peeling, bitter-free, crispy and tasty besides having dietary and health benefits being a good source of vitamins A, B & C and antioxidants. It was also informed that 6.00 lacs of vegetable seedlings grown under poly houses of the department have been distributed among the farmers. He said that more than 500 nos of growbags of vegetables including spinach, mint, broccoli, bok-choi, coriander have been distributed among urban/rooftop vegetable growers.
