Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Oct 29: In a significant development, the first lavender farm was inaugurated at Challah area of Bani today, with the planting of first sapling of lavender by Rita Thakur, DDC Bani.
Sanjeev Rai Gupta, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Kathua, and Rohit Singh Baloria, Sub Divisional Agriculture Officer Basohli, was also present on the occasion.
As per a statement, this lavender farm, spread over 40 Kanals of land, is owned by the Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers’ Welfare Kathua.
DDC Bani, Rita Thakur, expressed her gratitude to the Agriculture Department and commended the hard work and personal efforts of Sanjeev Rai Gupta in uplifting the farming community of Bani.
She also highlighted the Agriculture Department’s excellent work in mushroom cultivation, apiculture, and offseason vegetable farming in the Bani region.
Thakur emphasized that the lavender farm at Challah will not only increase the income of local farmers but become a famous tourist attraction in the near future.
Chief Agriculture Officer, Kathua, Sanjeev Rai Gupta, noted that this lavender farm would raise awareness about lavender cultivation among the local farming community, serving as an example of an alternative income source that will boost the regional economy.
He expressed gratitude to the Director of Agriculture Kashmir for supporting the establishment of the lavender farm with 30,000 lavender saplings. Gupta also mentioned that the farm at Dhar Challah would become a valuable source of quality planting material for farmers in the adjoining Bani and Duggan Blocks, with the potential to supply saplings to other areas in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The event among others was attended by Surinder Kumar, AEO Bani, Ravi Chouhan, AEO HQ, Kathua, and Naresh Kumar, JAEO Bani.
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