Jammu, Nov 17: The Directorate of Agriculture Jammu on Monday opened its technical wings and field units to school students, rolling out a five-day internship designed to introduce young learners to contemporary agricultural systems and departmental operations.
Twenty-four students from Government Boys Higher Secondary School R S Pura, GHSS Sai and GHSS Chakroi, accompanied by ten teachers, joined the programme aimed at hands-on exposure to labs, field practices and research facilities.
Director Agriculture Jammu Anil Gupta, while inaugurating the internship, urged students to view agriculture as a modern, tech-enabled sector offering avenues for innovation, research and enterprise. He said educated youth entering the farm ecosystem could strengthen scientific cultivation, elevate farm incomes and help India progress toward an export-oriented agriculture economy.
Joint Director Agriculture (Extension) Sanjay Anand stressed the sector’s pivotal role, noting that more than six lakh farmers in the Jammu Division rely on departmental support from sowing to market linkage. He said the internship would help students understand scientific agriculture, lab workflows and government schemes shaping the sector.
After an orientation at Kisan Kendra Auditorium, Talab Tillo, interns toured the Agro Cold Storage unit and the Agriculture Research Engineering workshop for a first look at post-harvest management and machinery upkeep.
In the coming days, participants will rotate through the Mushroom Production Unit, Plant Health Clinic, Soil Testing Laboratory, Fertilizers and Pesticides units, alongside visits to the Apiculture Wing, Seed Testing Laboratory and protected cultivation structures. A field trip to Chakroi Farm will provide ground-level exposure to precision farming, demonstrations and farm management practices.
The programme will conclude on November 21 with a closing ceremony and certificate distribution. The inaugural proceedings were conducted by Information Officer FTC Guldev Raj and Subject Matter Specialist Arun Khajuria, who coordinated the session.
