Joint Director Agriculture Extension inspects E-Plant Clinic Sunderbani & Nowshera

Jammu: Joint Director Agriculture Extension, Jammu, Sh Bal Krishan Chandan along with a team of officers conducted an extensive field tour of Rajouri district today.  He was accompanied by Sh Vinod Pandit, Programme Leader, CABI South Asia, and Dr. Arun Khajuria, Incharge Plant Health Clinic, Talab Tillo, Jammu. The officers interacted with the farmers, field functionaries, and Plant Doctors at Sunderbani, Bhajwal, Siot, Lamberi and Nowshera. Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer Nowshera Sh R. K. Sharma and Plant Doctor Sh Vishal Dutt interacted and briefed the officers on tour about the major crop pests and diseases of the area.

 The team also visited the farmer’s field of vegetable grower Sh Chaman Lal at village Bhajwal and advised him to shift the cultivation practices on scientific lines with a focus on marketing to get better returns of his produce.  Interacting with the farmers and field functionaries on the occasion Shri B. K. Chandan stressed on adoption of latest technological interventions including Integrated Pest Management, Organic Farming, Protected Cultivation, Integrated Farming System and asked the farmers to avail full benefits of the ongoing CSS schemes.  He stressed for taking effective control measures for the management of pests of cereal, vegetables and fodder crops. He appreciated the work of the Plant Doctors in the area. He further directed to shift the E-Plant Clinic Nowshera to some more spacious place and to open another E-Plant Clinic at Dabber Zone.

Sh Vinod Pandita stressed to increase the efficiency and punctuality of the E-Plant Clinics and advised the Plant Doctors to use mobile compatible DCA-App and data of Plantwise Knowledge Bank which has free acess. Arun Khajuria on the occasion asked the plant doctors to always follow the IPM module and “Process of Elimination” while making recommendations to the farmers.Earlier Subject Matter Specialist, Nowshera Jammu Sh Ashwani Sharma and Plant Doctor Chander Mohan Sharma apprised the visiting team of officers about the status of crop plant disease and pests at E-Plant Clinic Sunderbani.