After the inauguration of the Walnut processing plant in the Karnah division of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara by the Indian Army, locals in the area are hopeful of better employment opportunities and better economic conditions in the area in the coming days.
Brigadier S P Consul, Commander of the Brigade, the bloc development council (BDC) Chairman Tithwal Nishada Bano, Sarpanches of the villages and villagers in Kupwara district (famous for its walnuts) had inaugurated the plant in March 2022.
The plant is being funded by the Army while the Shakti Vijay Brigade was instrumental in making it a reality.
The plant has different types of machinery for processing the raw walnuts and packaging the nuts. The workers in the factory are optimistic about the reduced workload and increased income generation for the local farmers.
“The machines deployed here will help us save the travelling and other expenses in the processing and selling of the walnuts. It will assist us with quality processing of the walnuts,” a worker told ANI on Wednesday.
The local Sarpanch of the area, Syed Talib Hussian, said, “We are thankful for the Indian Army for installing this plant, as walnuts are the only source of income here.”
“It would eventually help us generate good avenues for self-employment in the valley by remarkably reducing labour requirement and increasing walnut production,” he added.
He also said that the plant would pave the way for greater opportunities for the youth in the area. (ANI)
