Daily Times

Experts, while speaking at a day-long capacity building workshop hosted here on Sunday, strongly recommended to encourage and promote the Sericulture industry for it being the strong source of the economy following maximum participation of the intending farmers.

The workshop was hosted by Director of the Sericulture department, Syed Ali Asghar Shah and attended among others by a large number of the farmers, related to the Sericulture Industry, from various parts of AJK especially from all three districts of Mirpur Division.

It was aimed to attract the intending farmers to generate their financial resources through self service by producing the silk cocoon in two different stipulated seasons annually with the due technical assistance and support of the AJK Sericulture Department primarily through the free supply of the Silk.

The founding father of Sericulture Department in AJK (Since 1950) late Abdul Hamid Nizami’s son and Kashmir’s illustrious senior journalist Altaf Hamid Rao was honored to be the chief guest on this occasion in acknowledgment of the life-time meritorious services of his late father in launching the department in 1949 following his long professional experience and full command being a seasoned officer of the State Sericulture Department in IOJK in pre-1947 regime.

Besides, a large number of farmers engaged in the Silk Cocoon Production, Pakistan origin experts of Sericulture Field From Hongkong, China and various parts of the country including AJK and the Senior officials of AJK Sericulture Department shared their experiences and knowledge about bright prospects of flourishing of Sericulture industry, on self-help basis with due assistance of the AJK Sericulture Department to pave the way for bringing about overall socio economic progress and prosperity in the State, the area already enriched with the conducive environment to achieve the gigantic task.

Addressing the ceremony speakers including the AJK Sericulture Department Chief Syed Ali Asghar Shah and experts of sericulture and related sectors from Hongkong, Punjab and AJK including Ahsen Mansoor, Kashif Azad, Fahed Kiyani, Rizwan Ulah, Muhammd Farooq Bhatti, Sheikh Shehzad Ahmed, Muhammad Fazil, Muhammad Ashraf, Banker Ansar Nawaz Chauha, Muhammad Sajid,Riazwan Ullah, Lady farmer Hajra Hatoon, Saeed Kathana, Engr. Tahir Iqbal, Prof. Dr. Mohsin Zaffar from MUST Varsity, Dr. Khalid Qayyum Farasat Hussain, Shakel Ahmed Butt, Riaz ur Rehman, Muhammad Shoaib, the chief guest Altaf Hamid Rao and others said that since huge required natural potential and conducive environment was available for the promotion of the sericulture industry in Azad Jammu Kashmir, the maximum participation of farmers in this industry through producing the silk cocoon with the due support and assistance by the State Sericulture department could make them economically progressive and prosperous since it was the best income-generating source in the State.

The AJK Sericulture Department Director Syed Ali Asghar Shah invited the farmers to participate in the sector producing the silk cocoon for onward selling on their own to the silk yarn industry to make them self supported financial being one of the attractive sources of their income. He underlined that the Sericulture Department was providing due basic assistance including the supply of free of cost silk seed to the farmers during the concerned seasons across Azad Jammu Kashmir besides the mulberry leaves and other due needs.

He said that identical capacity building workshops were being hosted in all other parts of AJK to attract maximum participation of the farmers in the Sericulture Industry in the State.

Speaking on this occasion Altaf Hamid Rao expressed his heartiest gratitude to the AJK Sericulture Department especially to its Director Syed Ali Asghar Shah for bestowing upon him the great honour of attending the event as chief guest in acknowledgement of meritorious services of his father (late) Abdul Hamid Nizami, the founder of the Sericulture Department in AJK following long time pre-1947 services being the seasoned officer of the Department in then erstwhile Himalayan State of Jammu & Kashmir State.