<span style="color: #222222;">In Jammu and Kashmir, the Government is set to revolutionize its fruit industry with the introduction of High-Density Plantation (HDP) systems and the production of quality planting material. AIR Jammu Correspondent reports that the Department of Horticulture in collaboration with the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (ICAR-CITH), have come together to provide technological intervention for this new project.<br />''<br />''The goal is to make J&K a self-reliant bio-economy by harnessing the economic potential of its diversified fruit crops. The project aims to enhance the production capacity of planting material to 111 lakhs in the first five years, develop 390 hectares of nurseries in public and private sectors, rejuvenate 2 thousand hectares of orchard areas and produce planting material to cover 5 thousand 5 hundred hectares under HDP of 12 fruit crops. Additionally, the project aims to strengthen plant testing and quality control labs, tissue culture labs, virus indexing labs and build capacity by training 5000 farmers and 150 technical manpower from SKUAST and the Department of Horticulture.<br />''<br />''The project shall create 200 new enterprises in the form of HD nurseries and provide potential jobs for 25,000 persons. By producing quality planting material of elite varieties for different fruit crops, the industry will be able to harness its full potential and contribute significantly to the economy of J&K. This project is a game changer for the horticulture industry in the Union Territory and will help to improve the lives of farmers and increase the overall income of the region.</span><br />