DC Kathua inaugurates wheat sowing across the fence along IB in Hiranagar Sector

KATHUA: District Administration Kathua, in coordination with the Agriculture Department and Border Security Force, today inaugurated wheat sowing across the fence along the Indo–Pak International Border in the Hiranagar Sector. Deputy Commissioner, Rajesh Sharma accompanied by Chief Agriculture Officer, Jatinder Khajuria, Sub Divisional Magistrate Hiranagar, Phulail Singh Bandral and Commanding Officer BSF Kathua-Samba Range, M.C Pragyan formally initiated the sowing activity at Village Chack Changa.

The Deputy Commissioner said the district administration is encouraging farmers to bring more vacant land under cultivation along the international border. He said farmers are being motivated to adopt integrated farming practices and use modern machinery to reduce input costs and increase agricultural productivity. He added that the District Administration, BSF and Agriculture Department are working in coordination with farmers to ensure safe and secure sowing of wheat across the fence. The Deputy Commissioner also interacted with local farmers and reviewed their requirements.

The Chief Agriculture Officer informed that the department has set a target of wheat sowing over 270 acres across the fence. He said 100 acres of land across the border was sown today involving 21 farmers from Chack Changa and Chann Tanda. He added that field teams are providing technical support to farmers for effective sowing.

He further said that farmers are being encouraged to use tractors and allied machinery, which save time and reduce labour costs as compared to traditional practices. Progressive farmers from the border villages appreciated the efforts of the Agriculture Department for facilitating sowing on vacant land across the border. It was noted that since 2019, the department has consistently supported border area farmers and motivated them to bring more land under cultivation each season. Tehsildar Hiranagar, Anoop Kumar, SDAO Hiranagar Ashwani Sharma, AEO Marheen Jamshed Singh, JAEO Vishal and other officials of the Agriculture Department were also present.