New phase of farmer prosperity envisioned
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Dec 27: Implementation of 29 project proposals for holistic development of Agriculture and allied sectors in Jammu and Kashmir, recommended by the UT Level Apex Committee and recently approved by the Administrative Council, is likely to herald a new phase of farmer prosperity and rural livelihood security in J&K.
The strategies identified by the committee (UTLAC) for moving towards a strong and commercially viable agriculture; include strengthening seed systems, harvesting the competitive advantage of J&K’s geo-climatic diversity, boosting production & productivity, monetizing produce & promoting secondary agriculture by creation of agri-business ecosystems with inbuilt functional value chains and securing livelihoods through enhanced jobs and income creation.
The committee has submitted comprehensive proposals encompassing the full spectrum of activities in all the major domains of Agriculture viz Horticulture, crop and livestock husbandry in the form of twenty-nine projects to strengthen the backbone of J&K’s rural economy.
The approved projects in Agriculture Sector include; development of seed and seed multiplication chain in PPP mode, promotion of niche crops, vegetables/exotic vegetables, strengthening Agri-Marketing System, promotion of medicinal/aromatic plants on commercial basis, promotion of Apiculture, technological interventions to strengthen Sericulture in J&K, promotion of Nutri cereals (Millets), farm mechanization and automation, promotion of mushroom cultivation and oilseeds, formulation of 300 FPOs, adoption & promotion of Integrate Farming System (IFS)/Integrated Livelihood system (ILS) in J&K, promotion of commercial floriculture, development of rain fed areas of J&K, alternate agriculture system for sustainability, sensor based smart agriculture, minimizing pesticide use in agriculture, J&K soil and land resource information system and innovative approaches in agriculture extension.
Similarly, approved projects in Horticulture sector include production of designer plants for promotion of HD plants and rejuvenation of orchards, UT level food processing program for development of clusters for specific products of J&K while in Livestock sector, the approved projects are dairy development in J&K, self-sufficiency in mutton production, roadmap for poultry development in J&K, technological interventions for fish seed and Trout production, promotion of wool/pelt processing and marketing, development of fodder resources for J&K.
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology will provide support to human resource development for technological backstop for sustainable and accelerated transformation of agriculture.
Pertinent to mention that Agriculture and allied sectors contribute over eighteen percent of the J&K’s Gross domestic Product (GDP), representing Rs 37600 crores per year and providing livelihood to more than 13 lakh families across the UT. Even as the Agriculture and allied sectors in J&K have been the mainstay of the rural economy since decades, the UT has been following a mere subsistence type of agriculture which has increasingly been facing the challenges of low productivity, shrinking farmer margins, unsustainability, climate change and lack of competitiveness when compared to produce from within and outside the country.
To mitigate these challenges and to build a technology driven, sustainable and remunerative agro-economy, an apex committee of experts headed by Dr Mangala Rai, former Director General ICAR, was constituted by the UT Administration to identify the priority areas for interventions through improved policy and capital support. The Administrative Council under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had recently approved the implementation of the twenty- nine projects submitted by the Apex committee with an outlay of Rs 5013 crores over the next five years. The agricultural output which stands at Rs 37600 crores, is expected to increase by over Rs 28142 crores to reach more than Rs 65700 crores per year, with a resultant increment in sectoral growth rate to 11 percent.
The interventions are likely to create employment opportunities for over 2.8 lakh youth and establish around 19,000 enterprises. More than 2.5 lakh persons will be skilled in various agri-enterprises ranging from seed production, precision farming of vegetables, bee-rearing, cocoon production, mushroom farming, integrated & organic agriculture, high-density fruit farming to processing, dairying, sheep & poultry farming as well as fodder production.
A high quality, multidisciplinary project management team in the form of a PMU will be set to oversee effective planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan which will contribute to the overall project objectives and specific team deliverables by contributing towards the planning of project activities and executing assigned tasks within the expected quality standards and time lines.
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