Ajaz Ahmad Bhat (KAS), Director Horticulture Kashmir- today unfurled the National flag in the Premises of Horticulture Complex Rajbagh Srinagar on the occasion of India's 72nd Republic Day. The event witnessed the participation from the Officers/Officials of the Department of Horticulture Kashmir and public at large. After hoisting the National flag, the Director Horticulture extended his warm greetings of this important day to all citizens of India. On this occasion, while addressing the audience, he vouched for the fraternity of Horticulture sector particularly the role of Horticulture experts in transformation of new technological interventions from laboratories to land. Presently this sector is sole largest production contributor to share ?10,000 crore annually with 9.5% GSDP. Director Horticulture informed that the Department of Horticulture is playing a pivotal role in building the socio economic fabric of Union Territory of J&K and highlighted the importance of the horticulture sector and its role in employment generation through trade in fertilizer, distribution, pesticides, machinery and other post-harvest management practices besides production of quality fruit crops. Director Horticulture appraised that various schemes have been taken-up in hand for their implementation and numerous project proposals are in pipeline. Intensive cultivation is our priority and simultaneously the capacity of retaining the Horticulture produce has reached to 1,70,000 MTs in Kashmir valley which has proved effective in avoiding the glut in the market besides stabilizing the market rates of Apple fruit crop. In near future, the retention capacity will be created to the tune of 4 lac MTs in CA Stores for competing in the national as well in international markets. The human resource produced by the Horticulture/Agriculture Universities will be involved for expanding the spectrum of entrepreneurship in Horticulture which will not only resolve the unemployment issues but also will upscale the modernizing of this sector on scientific lines. Director Horticulture briefed participants about the benefits of all other Centrally Sponsored Schemes particularly newly launched schemes viz. ‘Operation Greens- Top to Total’ and PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME) as part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan'. Lateron, Director Horticulture said that the variety of horticultural products of Jammu and Kashmir has earned world-wide fame because of its good quality and taste particularly as was seen in recent World Food Summit at UAE, Dubai. The fruit crops grown in the Union Territory are apple, almonds, walnuts, pears, cherries and apricots in temperate areas and mango, citrus, litchi, papaya, guava etc in subtropical areas. Director Horticulture informed that over the decades, the growth graph of Horticulture sector in Jammu and Kashmir has shown a tremendous spike with 10,000 metric tons of production in 1950 to 23.68 lakh metric tons of production in 2019-20. But we have still not reached to the optimal level and the Department is working on every front to make this sector highly vibrant and self-sustaining for the people associated with this sector.(KNS)