Srinagar, July 30: Jammu and Kashmir government has floated national level tenders, for the first time, for selling wool stocks procured from sheep breeders. The Jammu and Kashmir Sheep and Wool Development Board, has sold wool stocks valuing Rs 55 lakh to traders mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh during last three months by inviting tenders, an official spokesman said.

In a meeting presided by state minister for agriculture and cooperatives Abdul Aziz Zargar yesterday, a decision was also taken to enhance the procurement rate for A-grade wool from Rs 36 per kg to Rs 46 per kg to provide support price to sheep breeders and check exploitation by middlemen. The Jammu and Kashmir Sheep and Wool Development Board proposes to procure about three-lakh kg of wool from the sheep breeders directly this year.

The government have decided to set up 35 wool procurement centres in various parts of the state for the convenience of the breeders.

Additional wool procurement centres would also be set up in different areas of the state on need basis especially in remote and in-accessible areas.

These centres would launch wool procurement process from 15th August. Bureau Report