BARAMULLA: In a bid to strengthen agri-business development and rural entrepreneurship, a comprehensive meeting on the implementation of Credit Linked schemes of the Agriculture Production department (APD) was convened today at the DC Office Baramulla.

The meeting was chaired by the Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Baramulla, Ghulam Rasool Mir.

The meeting aimed to foster convergence among departments, financial institutions, and grassroots stakeholders to effectively implement credit-linked schemes and promote rural enterprise. Officers were directed to bring actionable proposals and relevant data, with emphasis on promoting commercial ventures in food processing, value addition, grading/packaging, and cold storage.

Specific instructions were given to the concerned departments to engage progressive farmers and FPOs in the process and motivate them to adopt agri-business models under the schemes. Financial institutions were urged to present farmer-friendly credit schemes and simplified financing models tailored for small and marginal farmers.

General Manager DIC was asked to submit feasible industrial and business models aligned with government incentives and credit schemes to benefit the horticulture and allied sectors.

ADDC emphasized active participation and convergence among stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the schemes across the district.

General Manager DIC, Joint Director Planning officers from Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Sheep Husbandry, Sericulture,Fisheries, Area Marketing HP&M besides financial institutions including the Lead Bank Baramulla attended the meeting.