APD to develop cluster-based model orchards
1500 jobs to be created through the project
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Dec 26: Government of Jammu and Kashmir has sanctioned a budget of Rs 27 crore for its pilot project of reducing use of chemical pesticides in agriculture and horticulture sectors of the Union Territory by demonstrating novel and smart methods. Under the project, cluster-based model orchards will be developed in the UT and nearly 1500 jobs will be created while 100 new enterprises will also come up in five years.
Official sources told Excelsior that as a major initiative to reduce the use of the pesticides in agriculture and horticulture sectors, the Agriculture Production Department (APD) has begun a pilot project to demonstrate novel and smart methods of controlling use of chemical pesticides in orchards.
“This is one of the 29 project proposals, which were approved recently by the Jammu and Kashmir administration after being recommended by the UT Level Apex Committee for holistic development of Agriculture and Allied Sectors in UT of J&K,” they said.
Sources said in J&K, pesticide use is pervasive, especially in the horticulture industry, the backbone of Kashmir’s agricultural economy. They said according to statistics, pesticides account for more than 55% of production costs in the fruit industry and chemical use is also prevalent in the rice and wheat crops.
The J&K Government is currently carrying out this initiative with a budget of Rs 27 crore to reduce pesticide use in order to boost product compatibility for export and organic standards and at the same time lower the high input costs being paid by the farmers, sources disclosed.
Giving details about the project, sources said the APD will develop cluster-based model orchards, in which the use of pesticides will be restricted by deploying smart and sustainable measures. “10 Cluster model high density plant orchards will be set up in which minimum use of pesticides will be done. Moreover, disease resistant varieties of crops will be identified and planted in these orchards. It will be followed by developing, validating and demonstrating efficient decision support system on pesticide use,” they added.
They said as per the project proposal, the Department will focus on popularizing and adoption of advanced spraying technologies and bio-pesticides. “Further, 20 Custom hiring centres will be set up for advanced spraying machines and 100 Agri-entrepreneurs will be trained in bio-pesticide production,” sources revealed. They further informed that nearly 1500 jobs will be created through the project along with coming up of 100 new enterprises in five years.
“Agriculture engages over 50% of workforce of the UT and provides livelihood to 70% of its populace. Making agriculture sustainable is a sure shot way to ensure welfare of farming community of J&K,” said Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) APD when contacted. Dulloo added that they have taken the initiative in rethinking the way J&K does its agriculture to make it economically profitable and ecologically sustainable.
Dr Tariq Rasool, Associate Professor, Plant Pathology, SKUAST, who along with Dr Malik Mukhtar are implementing this project, said that their objective is to bring down the use of pesticides in horticulture sector by more than 80 per cent.
“In an apple orchard, orchardists typically apply 20 to 30 kilograms of pesticides per hectare. We aim to reduce its usage to just 2–3 kilograms. In Kashmir, pesticides account for 55% of production costs, which is not the case in Europe, where apples are produced in significant quantities” the expert said. Dr Tariq added that as part of this project, growers in every district will see firsthand how pesticide use can be minimized.
“Our goal is to implement smart farming because the spraying technology we currently use is outdated. Our growers will gain knowledge of intelligent farming and the use of bio-fertilizers as a result of this project. The growers will be informed of the necessary spray to use as well as the deadline for stopping the entire spraying process. The concept of Maximum Residual Level (MRL), which is typically taken into consideration by people in European countries when purchasing fruits, should be understood by the growers,” he added.
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