Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Apr 17: A progressive farmer of border area in Kathua district has set an example in value addition in agriculture production after switching over to processing of spices.
This progressive farmer after getting the morale and financial boost under the Prime Minister Formulation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme under the One District One Product Program , Thoonda Singh of border village Kanachack in Kathua district who was earlier cultivating the Turmeric and other spices in his field , now has jumped to value addition and started its own Modernized Spices Processing Unit with an estimated cost of Rs 60 lakh. To hold the whole business independently , his son Parveen Singh who was in Army also got the voluntary retirement and joined his father in the Species Processing Unit.
The farmer Thoonda Singh said “I have got benefits under the PMFMPE . The Agriculture Department apprised me about the beneficial schemes and sanctioned the project which was financed by the Banks. He said “Earlier I was cultivating the Turmeric and facing problem of value addition. Now I have also encouraged local farmer to cultivate the spices because I have modern unit of value addition and better place of marketing”.
The Chief Agriculture Officer, Kathua , Vijay Kumar Upadhyay said that Kathua district is allotted production of species under One District One Product Schemes. The Agriculture Department is encouraging the farmers towards value addition in species processing . He added that by efforts of our Agriculture Department team led by DAO Raju Mahajan as many as seven farmers has submitted the proposal for setting up of Spices Processing Units. Some units are near to completion out of which one unit of Thoonda has started its processing on modern lines . The Government is giving the financial support to farmers in shape of easy loan with subsidy upto Rs ten lakh. Under the PMFMPE. The farmers are very much encouraged and getting interest in value addition processing units with the support of Industries Department. They are given loan finance by bank and subsidy upto ten lakh.
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