JAMMU, Jun 24: The Division of Agricultural Extension Education, SKUAST-Jammu, organised a training programme on “Agripreneurship Opportunities for Rural Women and Youth in Kandi Areas of Jammu” under a JKST&IC-sponsored project for rural women and youth of village Ambaran, Block Akhnoor, District Kathua. The programme was conducted under the guidance and leadership of Vice Chancellor Prof. B.N. Tripathi.
The programme was attended by Prof. Poonam Parihar, Principal Investigator (PI) of the JKST&IC project, Dr. Neerja Sharma, Co-PI of the project and Chief Scientist, Horticulture, KVK Samba, and S. Sarabjeet Singh, Technical Officer, Division of Agricultural Extension Education.
Welcoming the participants, Prof. Poonam Parihar highlighted the immense agripreneurship potential in the rain-fed Kandi belt of Jammu through value addition of locally available minor fruits such as khatta, gal gal, jhamiri, kimb, ber, aonla, bael, jamun, karonda and desi mango. She emphasized that empowering rural women and youth through micro-processing, value addition and organic input enterprises can generate sustainable livelihoods, reduce distress migration and strengthen local economies.
She elaborated on the economic benefits of producing value-added products such as bael squash, mango pickle, mango health drinks, aonla candy and sweets. According to her, agripreneurship contributes significantly to employment generation, poverty reduction, food security and efficient utilization of natural resources. She also stressed the importance of training in grading, packaging, branding and marketing to promote self-employment.
Dr. Neerja Sharma spoke on the role of agripreneurship in income diversification and rural development. She highlighted the untapped potential of minor fruits and conducted practical demonstrations on preparing value-added products including mango pickle, aam panna, mango health drink and bael squash.
Sarabjeet Singh informed participants about the contribution of traditional and minor fruits to livelihood enhancement, nutritional security and income generation, particularly for women and youth.
The programme was also attended by Sangeeta Gourey, Project Assistant, Ph.D. scholars Vibhore Khajuria and Lalita Bhagat of SKUAST-Jammu. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Mrs. Anita Sharma, group leader of village Aurhak.