Horticulture department establishing post entry quarantine facility at fruit plant nursery at Marta

Expert team inspects site for vital facility

UDHAMPUR, AUGUST 24:    Department of Horticulture, Jammu is going to establish a Post Entry Quarantine facility at Government Fruit Plant Nursery, Marta, Tehsil-Ramnagar of District-Udhampur.

The imported Apple rootstock shall be quarantined in the facility. In this connection a team of Government of India, SKUAST, Jammu and officers of the Department of Horticulture visited the Post Entry Quarantine site.

Dr. Mithilesh Kumar Arya, Assistant Director, CIPHM-Jammu , Dr. A.K Singh, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology, SKUAST-Jammu.  C.L Sharma, Joint Director, Horticulture Jammu, R.K Lochan, Chief Horticulture Officer, Udhampur,  R.R Sharma, District Level-SMS (PP) Udhampur, S Perminder Singh, District Horticulture Officer and Rajesh Gupta, Horticulture Development Officer included in the team.

This PEQ facility is first of its kind in Jammu Division which will meet the requirement of farmers in future for raising High Density Apple orchards.

Dr. Mithilesh Kumar Arya, Assistant Director, CIPHM Jammu reviewed the ongoing works in the nursery and suggested creating additional facilities in the centre. The PEQ centre shall be sufficient to plant 8.50 Lac clonal rootstocks.  It was informed that the clonal rootstock will be multiplied in this centre apart from raising High Density Apple plants of elite cultivars.

Dr. A.K Singh, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology, SKUAST-Jammu emphasised on phyto sanitary measures to be adopted in the PEQ centre to save the imported plant material from the attack of pest/diseases.

C.L Sharma, Joint Director, Horticulture Jammu assured the visiting team to implement the suggested measures in the PEQ centre and also directed the officers of the department to sincerely work with dedication to meet the desired results well in time.