DDC Rajouri reviews progress on ODOP and formation and promotion of FPOs in the district

Rajouri, March, 06: To review the progress achieved regarding the formation and promotion of the farmers producer organizations and One District One Product scheme, the District Development Commissioner Rajouri, Rajesh K Shavan on Saturday convened a meeting with the concerned members of the District Level Monitoring Committee here in his office chamber.

The meeting was attended by the Chief Planning Officer, Mohammad Khurshid; Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Mohd Ashraf; General Manager DIC, Manzoor Hussain; DDM NABARD, Kanav Sharma; Chief Agriculture Officer, Mahesh Verma; Chief Animal Husbandry Officer, Chief Horticulture Officer, Madan Lal; Deputy Registrar Cooperative society, Antar Singh; Lead District Manager JK Bank, Jyoti Prakash and experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

An FPO is a registered group of the farm community which promotes best practices of farming, maintains a marketing information system, diversifying and raising levels of knowledge and skills in agricultural production and post-harvest processing that adds value to products.

Chief Agriculture Officer informed the meeting that two FPOs comprising of 150 farmers each have been constituted in the district including one for Vegetables and the other for maize.DDC directed the CAO to ensure that the recently constituted FPOs perform their functions effectively for the betterment of the farm community in the district and also asked him take the assistance of the Lokmitra for monitoring purpose.

DDC while speaking during the meeting said that since Rajouri has been identified as a dairy district under OPOP scheme, therefore concrete measures sholud be taken for the promotion of the milk and milk products including Ghee, Paneer, Khoya etc in the district.

DDC said that the schemes ODOP are meant to enhance the production of local products in the district and asked the concerned authorities to take all possible measures to make the district an export hub in the identified products.

DDC asked the Deputy Registrar Cooperative society to constitute Self Help groups comprising of females only for marketing purpose of the identified products in the district.

Chief Animal Husbandry Officer has been directed to take concrete messures for enhancing the production of the milk and milk products in the district besides he has also been directed to submit the necessary action plan in this regard.

DDC also asked the CAHO to aware the masses about different loans provided by the Banks and other sponsering agencies for the purchase of the milch animals.