Farmers earn Rs 4.15 crore for this year produce
Udhampur has achieved the distinction of becoming the highest cocoon producing district of Jammu and Kashmir State.
This was informed at a meeting of sericulture department chaired by Director Sericulture J&K, Dr. Malik Farooq.
Deputy Director, Sericulture Development Department (SDD) Udhampur, Amanullah Sheikh informed that during the current year the district has produced 1,80500 kg of cocoon which fetched the farmers Rs.4.15 crores. He said this excludes cocoon produced at CSB units and Basic Seed stations of the Sericulture Development Department Udhampur.
He said that the SDD Udhampur also organized Dry Cocoon Auction Market at Sericulture Mehlat Udhampur in which 5094 farmers participated and sold their cocoon crop to the buyers. Besides this, Green Cocoon Auction was also organized by the department for the procurement of seed cocoon crop as well as auction of commercial cocoon crop in the district.
During the current year, 81 buyers, majority of them from West Bengal, besides local entrepreneurs from Jammu, Udhampur and Kashmir region participated in the departmental auctions, said the DD Sericulture
He further informed that the department has also converted the lengthy marketing procedure into cashless marketing by directly transferring the returns of their produce in the bank accounts of the farmers. This conversion of online transaction of money had a good impact on farmers because now they need not to spend whole of the day at the market and also online transaction saves lot of time and brings transparency in the payment process, added the DD Sericulture while highlighting the achievements of the Department.
