‘Farmers income raised, brought at par with developed States’
*Modi assured all support, cooperation for projects
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 17: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today said that Jammu and Kashmir is definitely moving ahead towards prosperity and shortly we will see J&K which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and people want to see.
Click here to watch video
Addressing the gathering of farmers and agriculturists from around the country at Baba Jitto auditorium of SKUAST Jammu, Sinha said under guidance of the Prime Minister, the agricultural reforms have solved many problems of the farmers.
“Income of the farmers has increased,” he added.
He said the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir have been brought at par with other developed States.
“Some hurdles were there in development process which have been cleared under guidance of the Prime Minister,” Sinha said.
Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir is definitely moving ahead towards prosperity, the Lieutenant Governor said shortly everyone will see J&K becoming what the Prime Minister and the people want to see.
He added that during last 2-3 years, many efforts were made to understand issues of farmers.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured all possible cooperation and support from the Central Government in implementing recommendations and projects proposed by the Apex Committee,” Sinha said.
An official handout said: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today inaugurated the Kisan Mela organised by SKUAST Jammu.
He observed that the five-day Assembly of farmers, industry, entrepreneurs, experts will help in developing linkages between various stakeholders to benefit the farming community.
Underscoring that Agriculture and farmers remain the top priority of the Government, the Lt Governor said, in last two years, an enabling environment has been created for transforming J&K’s Agri & Allied Sectors in order to increase farmer income, ensure food security and accelerate UT’s economic growth.
Kisan Mela will showcase and deliberate upon the theme of diversification in agriculture which is not only important for assured income to our farming community but also in making agriculture systems more sustainable in the future, he said.
Appreciating the Apex Committee for formulating a future strategy for small and medium-sized farms to ensure access to more profitable markets with reduced cost of farm inputs, Sinha said the holistic development is aimed at IT interventions, infusion of capital, value addition, processing, branding & marketing of agricultural produce supported by agri-business innovations to create employment.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor initiated the functioning of the Krishi Vigyan Kendras of Ramban and Kishtwar districts, virtually.
With the operationalization of Krishi Vigyan Kendras at Ramban and Kishtwar today, all districts of Jammu division now have functional KVKs dedicated towards conducting quality research and ensuring extension services, he observed.
Sinha said that our integrated approach with the focus on efficient use of bio-resources for food, feed and industry will be able to tackle challenges arising out of globalization and climate change.
“We are determined to transform subsistence agriculture into sustainable commercial agriculture economy with emphasis on ecosystem services and restoration & sustainable utilization of biodiversity,” he added.
Earlier, the Lt Governor inaugurated the rural sports by starting tug of war competition. He also inspected the stalls installed by SKUAST-Jammu, Government departments, FPOs, startups and local Agripreneurs for the benefit of farmers.
Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department threw light on the ways and strategy for holistic development of Agriculture and allied sector and transforming the lives of farmers with skill development and other dedicated initiatives.
In his welcome address, Prof J P Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu said that J&K is making strides in every field and features in national and international headlines for its unprecedented achievements.
Progressive farmers, Startups, and best community pond developers were also awarded during the programme.
Dr. Sumati Sharma, former Additional Director, DRDO, New Delhi; Baldev Billawaria, Deputy Mayor, JMC; Dr. Rajbir Singh, Director ICAR-ATARI; Avny Lavasa, DC Jammu; Major Manmohan Singh Virk; DDC members, HoDs, faculty members, farmers from across the country and students were present on the occasion.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
