JAMMU, DECEMBER 07: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department (APD), Atal Dulloo today chaired a meeting to review the progress of Famers Produce Organizations (FPOs) of Kashmir Division.Secretary in APD, representatives of MD NCDC, MD Small Farmers Agri Business Consortium, MD Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India, New Delhi, Director General Planning (APD), Director Finance (APD), representatives of NABARD, Director Sheep Husbandry Kashmir, MD, JK Agro Industries Development Corporation, Director Horticulture Kashmir, Director Floriculture Kashmir, Director Agriculture Kashmir, Director Fisheries J&K, Chief Executives of FPOs and other concerned attended the meeting in person and through virtual mode.During the meeting, the heads of several FPOs from the Kashmir division presented an overview of their respective organizations viz product, membership, shareholders, trainings, preparation of business plans etc.They also informed the meeting about the farmers registered with their FPOs, turnover, funding, and implementation etc of the FPOs.The meeting held a threadbare discussion of all the aspects of FPOs and their functioning while the ACS also received several inputs from the FPOs, schemes implementation and future plans.While taking the review of Cluster-Based Business Organizations wise (CBBOs), Dulloo asked the CBBOs and IAs (Implementing Agencies) to lend their support to FPOs while also motivating farmers to contribute the equity.He asked the officers to also focus on the wool sector and milk sector as there is a lot more need to be done in these fields and FPOs should be guided with these sectors having immense potential.He further impressed upon the concerned to keep monitoring this programme and review the progress of FPOs and facilitate these FPOs in the best possible way to get desired results on ground.He added that CBBOs and FPOs have to play their role in doubling farmers’ income for which there is a need for CBBOs to mobilize small and marginal farmers to join the FPO movement.
