Overview of the Department

The Department of Horticulture Kashmir functions under the administrative control of Agriculture Production Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir . The Director of Horticulture Kashmir is the Head of the Department and directly controls the horticulture development in the region He is assisted by the Joint Director of Horticulture, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Assistant Director Horticulture and Subject Matter Specialists at the Directorate Level.

To provide free technical service facilities with regard to establishment of new orchard and other management practices related to Development of Horticulture following staff is provided at Divisional/ District and Horticulture zone/ Block Level for the benefit of the farmers.

S. No.	Particulars of the post	Level	Functions
1	Joint Director Horticulture	Divisional	Administrative and technical control of the Horticulture related functions and functionaries in the respective Division. Coordination, monitoring and evaluation of horticulture development activities and preparation of short and long term horticulture development plans for the division. Generation updating and maintaining of data base from Panchayat level upwards. Inter-district coordination and any other function as may be assigned from time to time.
2	Deputy Director Horticulture (Central)	Headquarter	Shall function as Staff Officer to Director Horticulture.
3	Assistant Director (Horticulture)	Headquarter	Along with Assistant Director Planning and Statistics shall constitute the project planning cell in the Directorate. Discharging any other function given from time to time.
4	Chief Canning Instructor	Divisional	Administrative and technical control of the respective Vegetable Craft Training Centres, technical control of Fruit Preservation and utilization Extension Centres in the Division. Monitoring in evaluation of all the Fruit Preservation Centres. Planning of training programmes on short and long term basis. Assessment of the machinery and equipment needs of and Research and Development on fruit preservation problems. Any other function as may be assigned.
5	Chief Horticulture Officer	District	To coordinate horticulture development activities related to different disciplines. Administrative, financial and technical control over the entire organizational set up of the Department in the District. Preparation of long and short term horticulture development plans of the district at Panchayat, Zonal and Block level. To prepare and supervise development and production plans of the departmental nurseries and orchards including budget etc. on annual and long term basis. To check, evaluate and monitor the physical progress of all the activities and programmes implemented in the district and any other function which may be assigned from time to time.
6	District Horticulture Officer	District	To function as Staff Officer to Chief Horticulture Officer. To supervise implementation of horticulture development programmes in the departmental nurseries and orchards in the district. Any other function assigned from time to time. The DHO will also work as DDO but the Administration and financial powers will be held by Chief Horticulture office.
7	Horticulture Information & Publication Officer	Divisional	To highlight/publicize departmental development activities. To prepare and publish information bulletin/brochures/ pamphlets/ posters/ hand bills and other material needed for popularizing horticulture development activities and programmes and their dissemination among the fruit growing farmers. To establish rapport with print and electronic media, arrange talks and discussions with experts through the media on various technologies recommended by the university/ the department. Preparation and publishing of annual progress reports of the departmental activities. To organize fruit shows and exhibitions in the State, hold orchard competitions, arrange books, journals and other materials for the libraries and to act as Estate officer for horticulture complex Rajbagh Srinagar. To evaluate usefulness/ relevance of various publicity programmes and effectiveness of audio visual aids in dissemination of technical and general information related to horticulture development.
8	Divisional Manager, Plant Protection Workshop & Stores	Divisional	Administrative and technical control of the respective plant protection stores and workshop in the division. To fabricate tools and implements needed for departmental activities and popularize these among the farming community, repairs of the departmental machinery and providing repair services to the needy orchardists on no profit and no loss basis. To receive and deliver stores needed in the divisions. To conduct regular physical verification of stores in the district as prescribed under rules. To identify and process writing off the un-serviceable stocks including such items which may have outlived their life. To frame and publish reports of store verifications which are to be conducted on an annual basis. Any other function as may be assigned from time to time.
9	Divisional Training Officer	Divisional	To organize and supervise training programmes of departmental functionaries and fruit growers at the respective base stations. To prepare lists of experts and trainers on various horticulture crops and technologies and establish contact with them to ensure their availability as and which required. Arrange necessary tools and necessities needed for conduct of th trainings and to organize lodging and boarding of the trainees. Maintenance and management of training facilities including hostels if any, and any other function as may be assigned from time to time.
10	Manager-Cum-Chemist	District	To supervise Fruit Preservation and Utilization Extension Centre, conduct field demonstrations in public institutions viz colleges and schools; provide technical know-how to interested persons in fruit preservation on domestic scale and any other assignment as may be given.
11	Nursery registration officer	Divisional	To provide technical guidance to private nursery growers, provide certified bud wood to private and Government nurseries and to ensure production of quality planting material. Implement Nursery Registration Act and any other function assigned from time to time.
12	Farm Managers	Divisional	Receival, multiplication and evaluation of new and improved kinds and varieties of fruits through multi locational adoptive trials. Mass propagation of such kinds and varieties of plants which have been identified as suitable and supply these to the private and Government Nurseries for further multiplication and to the fruit growers on the terms and conditions as may be fixed by the competent authority from time to time. To supervise and monitor all the activities in the respective farm. To locate and propagate promising cultivars of different fruits from the existing resources. To supplement practical training programmes as may be organized by respective Divisional Training Officers.
13	Analysts	Divisional	To assess and provide nutritional requirement status, reports to the desirous fruit growers on the terms and conditions fixed by the competent authority. To prepare soil maps of respective divisions with reference to nutritional status of different localities, regions on Macro and micro levels. To Develop nutritional package/ recommendations for various areas and fruit crops.
14	District Level Subject Matter Specialists	District	To identify/ diagnose various problems related to management, physiological disease and insect problems. To suggest remedial measures wherever available and establish liason with Agriculture University/ research institutions and refer problems to the Agriculture University and follow up to obtain solutions. To attend training programmes organized by the Agriculture University regularly and disseminate/ transfer the technologies developed by the University/ Research Institutions to the field functionaries and growers. To monitor pest and disease problems through surveillance/ scouting and ensure timely warnings. To manage operation of fore-warning systems located in their respective districts. To finalize/ assess nutritional and plant protection input requirements, monitor their quality and evaluate the results. Supervise on Farm Trials/ demonstrations and evaluate their impact. Another function as may be assigned.
15	Assistant Analyst	District	Assistance to the Analyst for preparation of soil maps of the area and workout the recommendation on nutrition of the horticulture crop and provide these to the farmers of the area. Any other function as may be assigned from time to time.
16	Horticulture Development Officer		Implementation of horticulture development programmes and activities in his jurisdiction. To disseminate and popularize new technologies. Assess requirement of various inputs in his jurisdictions and take steps for their timely availability. Monitoring inputs supply and their quality and pest and disease problems in his jurisdiction. Provide necessary information on regular intervals to appropriate quarters. To control, direct and monitor working of horticulture technicians in his area. To supervise and monitor departmental orchards and nureeries which fall in his jurisdiction and any other assignment as may be give.
17	Horticulture Technician		The function of the Horticulture Technicians in all categories and their contemporaries shall include performing of package of practices including land preparation, budding, grafting, irrigation, fertilization and fertigation, pruning/ trining, plant protection measures and extension of horticulture technologies/ skills to the fruit growers. Scouting/ surveillance of pest and disease problems in tier area.
18	Gardener		They shall perform their duties in departmental orchard/ nurseries related to preparation of land, irrigation, fertilization, budding, grafting and pruning etc. any other function as may be assigned from time to time.

Horticulture Sector

Horticulture is backbone of State economy contributing nearly Rs:-5000/- Crore to our economy, as per an estimate over 07 lac families are directly or indirectly engaged in pursuits connected with Horticulture sector. So it is one of the sectors, which contribute significantly, in employment generation and add nearly 7% to the Gross State Domestic Product.

During the first few five year plans, priority was assigned to achieve self sufficiency in food grains production. Over the years, horticulture emerged as an important and growing sub sector of agriculture, offering a wide range of choices to the farmers for crop diversification. It also provides ample opportunities for sustaining large number of agro industries which generate substantial employment opportunities. With agriculture and allied sectors finding alternate ways of increasing productivity of crops, horticulture as a sub-sector, is a revelation, showing remarkable signs of progress in the state.

Suitability of various fruit crops as per the zonalization programme

Zones	Areas	Suitable Fruit Kinds
Temperate Zone	Entire Kashmir Valley, Parts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda Kishtwar, Ramban ,Reasi, Kathua and Udhampur Districts of Jammu Division	Apple, Pear, Cherry, Walnut. Almond, Chestnut, Strawberry, Stone fruits Grapes , Prunes and Kiwi. etc.
Sub- Temperate (Mid Zone)	Uri Tehsil of Baramulla District and Karnah Tehsil of Kupwara	Stone fruits ( like Peach, Plum , Apricot) Almond, Pears, Pecan Nut, Olive and Kiwi.
Cold Arid Zone	Districts of Leh and Kargil	Apricots, Apple, Walnut, Peach, Pear, Cherry, Grapes (Raisin type), Prunes (drying type) Seabuck thorn, and Currants

SCHEMES

Vision & Mission

Horticulture is backbone of State economy.
Horticulture contributes nearly Rs:-5000/- Crore to States economy annually.
Horticulture sector contributes about 7% to the Gross State Domestic Product.
236 private registered Nurseries produce 13 lac plants.
7 Lac families / 33 Lac souls involved in the trade.
Each hectare of Orchard generates 400 mandays per year
Productivity of Apple -10 MT/ ha and average of all fruits is 5-6 MT/ha. There is a potential to enhance the productivity of Apple from 10 MT to atleast 45 MT per hectare with high-density farming system.
Diversification of fruits from traditional apple to other fruits like Walnut and Cherry that face very little or no competition in the National and International market has been taken on a large scale. Even, in case of apple diversification of varieties has been planned with more stress on Ambri, Star Crimson, Cooper-4 and Red Fuji .
Stress has been laid to increase area under fruit crops like Walnut, Pear, Stone Fruits, Strawberry, Grape, Pecan nut and Olive (zonalization)
Zonalization of fruit crops has been planned for future plantation under area expansion programmes.
Potential for bringing additional area under Walnut is enormous. As per preliminary estimates about 0.50 lakh hectares are available on which Walnut cultivation can be undertaken successfully. This will help to create green cover in hill areas and conserve soil from erosion. Besides, provide high value wood for wood Carving Industry, as well as Walnuts for export purpose.
• Cherry cultivation is another promising field for development. The department has propagated high quality plant material on semi dwarfing colt root stocks. It is proposed to bring sizeable area under cherry cultivation so that its production is doubled during next five years.
Creation of irrigation infrastructures for Horticulture crops is top priority with the department to increase the present productivity of 10.00 tones to 20 tones/ha.
Popularization of agricultural tools, implements and plant protection machinery has been intensified to have effective control over various plant diseases and insects .
Status of various diseases and insects remained below economic threshold levels as a result of adoption of integrated pest management schedule prepared jointly by the experts of Department of Horticulture and Scientists of SKUAST.
Horticulture Potential
The diverse Agro-climatic conditions of the state offer great potential for growing a variety of fruits like apple, walnut, almond, cherry, strawberry, citrus, apricot, plum, olive, kiwi pecannut etc.
At present about 1.5 lakh hectares have been identified as the potential area suited for fruit plantation programme and there are more areas available for fruit cultivation in rain-fed and hilly areas.
Potential for increase in productivity in case of apple from present level of 12 metric tones to 30-40 metric tones per hectare through introduction of high density plantation programme.
With the help of High density plantation technology, 2500-3600 plants are being planted per hectare compared to 250 trees planted presently.

The department performs a number of operations as:

• Area Expansion.

• Rejuvenation of Old and Senile Orchards.

• Awareness among farmers for adoption of latest technical knowhow .

• Disease and Plan health Management.

• Canopy Management.

• Soil Health Management.

• Creation of Water Sources.

• Production of quality fruit plants.

• Protected Cultivation.

• Human Resource Development.

• Horticulture Mechanization.

• Organic farming

• On farm collection and sorting units.