Anantnag: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anantnag Syed Fakhrudin Hamid on Wednesday congratulated the stakeholders and farmers involved in promotion of the Mushkbudji rice for the major achievement.
“I congratulate the entire team of stakeholders including the farmers associated with the cultivation of Mushkbudji. This will not only generate awareness about the scented
variety but also help in mainstreaming and branding of this variety,” the DC said.
He said it is a unique success story and an example wherein the farmers via FPO and department had worked in synergy.
“Now our aim is to further increase the area under cultivation of this scented variety as well as plan for ensuring proper value addition via food processing,” the DC said.
He said that for this scented variety of rice to compete in the international market, the Department of Agriculture was going to establish a modern rice mill along with handling and packing units with an estimated cost of Rs 1.20 crore.
“This year, the Department of Agriculture has increased the area under Mushkbudji crop to around 250 hectares which is going to increase further,” the DC said.
He said that the Mushkbudji farmers were being provided technical guidance about the crop by conducting awareness camps in the farmer fields during the current cropping season
“Fifteen such camps were conducted in the area. We are also focusing on procurement and creating a proper seed bank for distribution to the prospective farmers,” the DC said.