Srinagar: Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal today inaugurated first of its kind atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) in the district soil testing laboratory of Bandipora. The lab will provide state of the art soil testing facilities to the farmers of concerned district.
Director Agriculture congratulated the Department and said in a meeting that the introduction of these latest facilities at district soil testing laboratory will hugely benefit farmers and Agri-entrepreneurs of Bandipora district. With the inauguration of atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) at DLSC Bandipora, Department is making every possible effort to make latest and advanced soil testing facilities available to farmers, he added.
Chowdhary Iqbal said the analysis of soil is a critically important branch of environmental monitoring, the list of harmful chemicals is growing therefore a full spectrum of analytical technologies with the most accurate and sensitive analysis is needed.
Chief Agriculture Officer Bandipora Mohammad Mujtaba Yahya gave a detailed presentation of the progress on the implementation of various centrally sponsored schemes in the district. He also apprised the Director regarding various innovative interventions taken up by the Department in the district. Yahya said that Department has already achieved the target of soil testing /issuing of soil health cards to the farmers this year and has issued 7437 soil health cards to the beneficiaries.
Later on Director Agriculture visited intensive vegetable development cluster Shahtulpura Shadipora Sumbal and inspected various blocks of the vegetable cluster. Director Agriculture also distributed farm machinery including two tractors among the farmers.
Director Agriculture also inaugurated Custom Hiring Centre in sub division Sumbal of district Bandipora.
Director Agriculture was accompanied by Deputy Director Planning Mohammad Younis Chowdhary, Chief Agriculture Officer Bandipora and some senior officers of the Department.

KR Desk