PAMPORE, October 14: The Department of Agriculture, Sub-Division Tral, organised an Outside State Farmers Exposure Visit to provide local farmers with an opportunity to learn about advanced agricultural practices and technologies. The group of farmers was flagged off by Chief Agriculture Officer Pulwama, Waheed-ur-Rehman, in the presence of District Agriculture Officer (Extension) Pulwama, Rupinder Singh Bali, District Agriculture Officer (Inputs) Pulwama, Vinod Kumar Thappa, Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO) Tral, Mohammad Iqbal Wani, and Agriculture Extension Officer Pampore, Ishtiyaq Ahmad Bhat.
The tour, organised by the office of the Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer Tral, aims to acquaint farmers with the latest agricultural technologies, innovative farming practices, and success stories from progressive states across India.
Flagging off the group, the Chief Agriculture Officer appreciated the initiative and urged farmers to take full advantage of the opportunity. He highlighted that such exposure visits play a crucial role in keeping the farming community updated with modern agricultural trends, thereby helping them adopt new methods to enhance productivity and profitability.
Speaking to Morning Kashmir, SDAO Tral Mohammad Iqbal Wani said that a group of progressive farmers from various areas of the subdivision is participating in the tour. The itinerary includes visits to reputed agricultural institutions and progressive farms outside the Union Territory, where participants will gain firsthand experience of innovative techniques, integrated farming systems, and effective marketing strategies.
He added that the programme is part of the department’s ongoing efforts to empower farmers through capacity building and knowledge exchange.
The event concluded with good wishes from the departmental officers, who expressed hope that the participating farmers would implement the knowledge gained during the visit to boost agricultural development and sustainability in the district.
Speaking to Morning Kashmir, Chief Agriculture Officer Pulwama, Waheed-ur-Rehman, said that the department is implementing a Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) under which farmers are being provided exposure visits to different states to learn about various agricultural components such as floriculture, medicinal plants, and other innovative sectors.
He explained that the main objective of these exposure visits is to create awareness among farmers about the latest developments and successful practices being adopted elsewhere so that they can replicate and adopt such models locally.
“Through these tours, we aim to familiarize our farmers with modern trends in agriculture. This particular group, comprising progressive farmers and agri-entrepreneurs from the Agriculture Sub-Division Tral, is being taken to Punjab University and other institutions. The goal is to provide them with meaningful exposure and practical insights into advanced agricultural practices,” he added.
Speaking to Morning Kashmir, Javaid Ahmad, a progressive farmer, expressed his gratitude to the Agriculture Department for organizing the exposure tour.
He said, “Today we are leaving for an exposure visit organized by the Agriculture Department. We are thankful to the Chief Agriculture Officer Pulwama, the Agriculture Officer Sub-Division Tral, and the Agriculture Extension Officer Pampore for providing us this valuable opportunity to visit other places and learn how farming is practiced there.”
He added that the five-day training programme will help farmers gain knowledge about new technologies and modern farming techniques. “If such programmes continue in the future, they will greatly boost the confidence of farmers and help us adopt innovative agricultural practices,” he said.
