The objective of the workshop was to educate and guide the farmers in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir to make informed decisions in order to scale up their food business in walnut processing.
As a part of ‘Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari’ campaign, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, organised One District One Product (ODOP)-based workshop on the processing and value addition of walnuts in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir. The event was inaugurated by Ashok Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar. The ODOP workshop aimed to set the stage for all food-tech stakeholders to impart, discuss and acquaint the stakeholders with the new emerging trends in food processing and technological innovation in walnut processing in the Kishtwar district.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishesh Paul Mahajan, Director, Horticulture (Planning and Marketing) Jammu and Kashmir highlighted the importance of the micro food processing sector as the growth driver of the Indian economy and through the PMFME scheme the government’s efforts to encourage food processing in India. The workshop witnessed the presence of industry speakers sharing their insights for micro-enterprises and farmers to pave the way in walnut-based products to scale to domestic and global levels.
Addressing the workshop, Dr Brij Paul, SMS (PP) Dept. of Horticulture, Kishtwar spoke about the relevance of the ODOP for the district. Speaking on the occasion Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar appealed to the orchardists and farmers to come forward and lay a proactive role in the implementation of rolled out schemes of the departments so that the income of these farmers is increased. Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar also informed that the district administration is working on the establishment of model ‘Mandi’ in the district. He further informed that 50 Kanals of land alongside the national highway in the district has been identified to establish the mandi which will provide a common platform for the display, sale and marketing of the product and also provide national-level access to farmers. Khalid Malik General Manager, DIC, Kishtwar conducted a session on ‘Potential Opportunities and Technologies for Micro Entrepreneurs’.
Dr. Syed Zameer Hussain, Head, Division of Food Sc. & Technology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology – Kashmir (SKUAST-K), conducted a session on ‘Scope and future strategies for processing and value addition of walnuts in J&K, particularly in district Kishtwar’. The One District One Product (ODOP) workshop under Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari campaign is one-of-a-kind initiative by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries along with the support of distinguished industry experts to educate and guide the farmers in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir to make informed decisions in order to scale up their food business in walnut processing in the present scenario.
In addition to the participation of the various eminent guest speakers, the event saw the participation of around 300 farmers, orchardists and government officials from across the UT and also the food processing micro-enterprises.