Director Agriculture Kashmir, Dr. Farooq Ahmad Lone is a dynamic Bureaucrat. In an exclusive Interview with The Kashmir scenario, he talks to Rameez Makhdoomi.
What is being done to safeguard agricultural land from growing encroachments as area under agriculture is declining?
I would not call it an encroachment. Basically, there are genuine housing requirements. The trend of nuclear families is also growing in rural areas and naturally they have housing requirements and they tend to use the available agricultural and horticultural land for same purpose.
We need to identify wastelands for meeting our housing requirements in order to safeguard the agricultural and horticultural land .The Agricultural Department is also organizing awareness camps wherein farmers are informed on the need to save agricultural and horticultural land which is a scarce commodity. We need to take a holistic view on this sensitive issue. In developmental projects like construction of railways the acquisition of agricultural land sometimes becomes need, but we need to definitely make maximum efforts to save precious agricultural land .
What steps are taken to make harsh winter months productive for our farming community?
In this regard, over the past few years we have succeeded in increasing the trend of polyhouse cultivation during harsh months of winter. We are via this able to produce direct seedling in March as a result our agricultural activity is growing. We are providing 50 percent subsidy to farmers to conduct their agricultural activity in these polyhouses .And under RKGY, We are providing additional 10 percent subsidy.
We are also introducing a comprehensive programme for mushroom cultivation in winter months for our farming community because we have immense potential in Mushroom cultivation. The Department would in this relation provided much needed spawn and pasteurized compost to the farmers in our planned Integrated Mushroom Development Center. We would also train the farmers in our demonstration centers so take the advantages out of this lucrative activity throughout the year.
What have been impacts of National Saffron Mission?
National Saffron mission is a much bigger intervention from Government of India and State government to save saffron industry. Saffron was our heritage crop and people were getting disassociated from its cultivation and there are multiple reasons behind this. The project cost is total 372 crore out of which the government share is 288 crore and the rest is farmer share .
We have to bear in mind at one time the saffron production had dwindled as soil was given nothing in return to main its fertility and the traditional cultivation practices used were outdated especially during sowing as we used to get crop after 3 years of sowing . With aid of SKUAST and Central institute of Temperate Horticulture we developed such technology that we are getting crop from first year itself.
Under National Saffron Mission, we are providing required fertilizers and corms to farmers and bearing 75 percent of the cost and it is ensured saffron land is rejevenuated. The farmers who have rightly implemented latest technology and facilities provided by National Saffron Mission as a result of which their production has greatly enhanced.
Two major benefits of National Saffron Mission are to provide much needed irrigational land and also provide much needed marketing facility and via this also curb adulteration.
Agricultural Department Gazetted Officers are facing stagnation from several years. Your take?
It is fact that efficiency of every Department depends on motivated human resource and if one sees stagnation for long time your motivation decline. It is a serious issue, but there are serious reasons behind this- litigation counter-litigations and rule discrepancies. The matter is taken seriously by Government and Department to address this issue permanently and committee has already formed in this regard.
Critics say there is no right man at right place in the Agriculture Department?
We ensure right man is placed for right job and it is clear from the progress made by Agricultural Department and reach of Department towards farmers with reference to schemes and awareness has increased. At some instance we might not have the human resource for a particular profile so personnel get more than one charge.
Pesticide Dealers state that process of getting license renewed from Agriculture Department is Cumbersome. Your take?
I don’t think it is so and process is made hassle free. But the problem they have is that according to insecticide act, they will have to pay 500 registration fees for per product. Although, it has been stayed by High Courts of some states but it is not yet stayed by our High Court.
Landlords whose accommodations are used as offices by Agricultural Department complain of delay in payments of rent. Your take?
I cannot out rightly reject this. This grievance is right to some extent as number of offices here. The Finance Department has been kind enough to provide us in revised estimates of next year finances for this purpose.
What is your message?
I would like to appeal to farmers take due benefits of our schemes and seek every sought of help from our staff and if they are sometimes non responsive they should feel free enough to contact higher officials.