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Walnut harvesting has begun in the Bani area of Kathua district, where local farmers are cultivating the crop using traditional methods after being inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. Earlier, farmers in the region mainly cultivated maize.
Farmer Madav Lal, who has been involved in horticulture for the past 30 years, told ANI that walnut cultivation has helped increase farmers' income and encouraged them to move beyond traditional crops like maize. "I have been working in the field of horticulture for 30 years. Our income is increasing day by day. The Prime Minister's message to farmers is also to increase their income and focus more on horticulture," Lal said. He said earlier farmers mainly depended on maize cultivation, but the returns were limited. "The elders used to cultivate only maize. But there is no profit in that. Sometimes the yield is Rs 30,000, sometimes Rs 40,000 or even Rs 50,000. We get a lot of inspiration from PM's 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on TV. Hearing him speak about increasing our income motivated me to pay more attention to horticulture," he said. Lal said officials from the Horticulture Department regularly guide farmers and help them resolve issues related to cultivation. "The Horticulture Department staff are locals; they visit us and guide us at every stage. They help resolve any problems that arise," he said. He added that he cultivates Suleman and Hamdan varieties of walnuts, which are known for their taste and size. "The varieties I grow here are Suleman and Hamdan. They taste great, and the size is just right too. It breaks easily by hand. Sometimes, it even breaks just from falling to the ground. It takes at least a week to dry," Lal said. (ANI)
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