SRINAGAR: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a meeting regarding early emergence of pests as reported from various districts of J&K at civil Secretariat here.

Vice Chancellor, SKUAST Jammu and Kashmir, Secretary in  Agriculture Production Department, Director Horticulture, Jammu and Kashmir, Joint Director Horticulture, Scientists from SKUAST-K, Chief Horticulture Officers, experts from KVKs and the Department of Horticulture attended the meeting in person and online mode.

Director Horticulture, Kashmir, in his detailed presentation, informed about emergence of pests in many areas of J&K. He also discussed the advisory against such pests recommended By SKUAST-K and issued by the Department of Horticulture in the field.

ACS directed the scientists from SKUAST and experts from the Department of Horticulture to be proactive and identify the hot spot areas of infestation and classify the locations into RED, YELLOW and GREEN zones based on the percentage/severity of infestation.

Atal Dulloo reiterated that pest/ disease infestation being dynamic process, its spread need to be catch hold off very early  before any alarming situation evolves to the disadvantage of Horticulture industry. He informed that online survey form has been designed to collect data regarding infestation of pests in different villages of J&K and the Department of Horticulture has been directed to assist farmers to fill these forms.

ACS directed the officers and experts to visit affected areas at regular intervals to report if the control measures taken are working and if the pest is under control. Data compilation regarding pest infestation and its spread will assist in working out more appropriate control measures that shall be accordingly issued as fresh advisory, he maintained.

He asked the Director Agriculture, Kashmir to facilitate availability and sale of all the chemicals recommended by SKUAST-K against these pests. (GNS)

SRINAGAR:  The agriculture and allied sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are poised for significant growth and boost with launch of a slew of technological advancements and extension programs.

These interventions, incentivized through various schemes and projects, have already led to improvements in quality and quantity of produce in the region.

However, the challenge remains in integrating smallholder produce with market systems that are both effective and transparent. This will ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their goods while consumers get good value for their money. To tackle this issue, Jammu and Kashmir is implementing a project under Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) that aims to strengthen the existing market infrastructure and create a robust market ecosystem that caters to the needs of all stakeholders.

Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, emphasized that the proposed project will be segmented into several key areas. These included market reforms, infrastructure development, institutional and capacity building, branding, digital marketing, and market research information systems. The project aims to achieve its objectives through an investment of Rs 560 crore, which will be spread over a period of five years.

Dulloo expressed confidence that this project will bring about significant improvements in agriculture and allied sectors in Jammu & Kashmir, providing a boost to the region's economy and benefiting farmers and consumers alike.

The project aims to improve the Terms of Trade (ToT) in favor of farmers, improve efficiency and effectiveness of the market ecosystem and minimize the value loss while maximizing societal welfare. The proposed activities or areas of intervention will strengthen the existing agricultural marketing system in Jammu & Kashmir, bringing long-term dividends across stakeholders, particularly farmer-producers.

The proposed project also envisages significant growth in agriculture and allied sectors through various activities. The market reforms included implementation of an open auction system, a single license for trading in all mandies, and institutionalization of post-harvest infrastructure with the eNAM network. Infrastructure development will involve converting mandies into value chain parks, creating new mandies and installing composting units. Besides, institutional building and capacity development will focus on the formation of Niche Product Marketing FPOs.

Branding activities will include creation of two Agriculture Branding Centers, mapping of existing branding practices, farmers/FPO brand building training and workshops, and integration of branded niche products with the tourism and hotel industry. Lastly, rural business and service hubs will be established in production areas.

The Directorate of Horticulture, Planning & Marketing will be responsible for on-ground implementation of the project and will serve as the nodal agency for providing unified licensing to potential traders.

The government of Jammu & Kashmir is set to implement this new project that aims to transform the agriculture sector through a multi-faceted approach. This approach includes market reforms, development of infrastructure, and promotion of institutional building and capacity development of Niche Product Marketing FPOs.

Market reforms will bring transparency and fairness in trading practices, genuine price for produce, increase the number of buyers, and fair competition. This will result in an increase in producers' share in consumer rupee. Infrastructure development will create an efficient and effective market ecosystem, minimize value loss, overcome distress sale, improve logistics, adhere to quality standards, ease of doing business, target unattended geographies, waste to wealth, and minimize environmental pollution.

Private entrepreneurs will be responsible for development of infrastructure, including CA stores, grading lines, mini cold stores, reefer vans and pick-up vans. The Directorate of Horticulture, Planning & Marketing will establish composting units at potential mandies, and also create new mandies in collaboration with the respective District Administrations.

The promotion and support of institutional building and capacity development of Niche Product Marketing FPOs will be done in collaboration with allied departments and Agriculture Universities of the UT. The emphasis will be laid on branding of agriculture produce to promote marketing and competitive advantage of Niche crops. This will also result in scale economies in input and output marketing, operations, bargaining power, contract farming, better terms of trade (ToT), self-reliance, and confidence.

The project will also include the identification, capacity building, and promotion of Rural Business & Service Hubs (RBSHs) across all districts of J&K. This intervention will provide quality inputs/services, improve logistics in management operations, improve yield and quality produce, technology outreach, extension of improved varieties and machines, and market information

A dedicated Market Intelligence Cell will be established at SKUAST-K in collaboration with concerned Departments. The establishment of this Cell will result in creation of decision support system, improved marketing strategy by stakeholders, fairness in trading, more competition, and better policy outcomes. Digital marketing will play a pivotal role in doubling farmers income. It will increase the visibility online and enable potential customers to find agricultural business online. The digital marketing strategy will be more effective in case of niche products from UT of J&K to reach the potential customers across the country and globe.

In order to facilitate online marketing of niche based agri/horti/livestock/fishery/NTFPs, a dedicated web portal may be made operational for online marketing under PPP mode. The portal will be customized for J&K Niche Products for effective marketing strategy.

The proposed project will have both direct and indirect beneficiaries. Direct beneficiaries will include farmers, market functionaries, potential entrepreneurs, employable masses in infrastructure development, and employable masses in value creation. Indirect beneficiaries will include consumers/customers, importers/buyers, outsource sector/industry, and indirect employable masses.

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has announced a range of incentives aimed at strengthening the state's market infrastructure. Under the initiative, a 50% capital subsidy will be offered for the establishment of 11 Controlled Atmosphere (CA) stores, each with a capacity of 5000 MT, at a unit cost of Rs. 30.00 cr. In addition, a 50% subsidy will be provided for the establishment of 12 hi-tech grading lines, 275 portable grading lines, reefer vans, pick up vans, and mini cold stores. Four mechanized windrow composting units, 16 simple composting units, and four new mandies will also be established at a cost of Rs. 49.00 cr.

The Institutional Building and Capacity Development component of the project will see 55 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) established with an investment of Rs. 11.00 cr, and 35 capacity building training programs arranged for FPOs, costing Rs. 1.05 cr. Additionally, two Agriculture and Branding Centers will be established in each division at a cost of Rs. 5.20 cr.

A 50% subsidy will be provided for establishment of 400 Rural Business and Service Hubs, with a ceiling of Rs. 15.00 lakh on each hub. Finally, the infrastructure for digital marketing and market intelligence will be established at a cost of Rs. 11.30 cr. The implementation of these interventions is expected to have a significant impact. The government anticipates that farmers' income will double from 45% to 90%, while the reduction of value loss is expected to be between 20% and 50%.

The off-season availability of fruits and vegetables is also expected to improve. Value creation is anticipated to increase by 25% to 75%, and there will be an increase in income, value output, employment, reduced food wastage, and an efficient decision support system. As a result, this investment is expected to be highly beneficial.

The project will result in several key outputs, including the establishment of 11 CA stores with a capacity of 55,000 MT, 12 hi-tech grading lines, 25 mini cold stores, four new mandies in Samba, Reasi, Kishtwar, and Bandipora, 400 Rural Business & Service Hubs, two Agri Branding centers, and one Market Intelligence Cell. This project is also expected to create 6,000 jobs and 629 enterprises in the next five years.

In conclusion, the government of Jammu & Kashmir plans to implement a project that aims to transform the agriculture sector through a multi-faceted approach. It will bring transparency and fairness in trading practices, create an efficient and effective market ecosystem, promote institutional building and capacity development of Niche Product Marketing FPOs, and improve digital marketing strategies.(GNS)

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Government has rolled out a holistic Agriculture Development Plan with 29 proposed projects worth an outlay of Rs 5,012 crore to be implemented over a period of the next five years, an official spokesman said.
To create an enabling environment for transforming J&K agriculture and allied sectors in order to increase farmer income, ensure food security and accelerate economic growth, Rs 3,156 crore have been allocated for these vital sectors in the budget for 2023-24.
He said that the novel initiative will create additional job opportunities for 2,87,910 people in agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors besides 18,861 new business enterprises will be created over the period of the next five years.
Under the ambitious project, the government will create 67,000 Metric Ton Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Storage Capacity enabling the farmers to store their produce for better returns.
Jammu and Kashmir government is encouraging and aiding private players to set up cold storage facilities in order to reduce post-harvest losses by increasing the shelf life of various agriculture and horticulture products, as well as to address the issue of distressed crop sales by farmers.
As part of the Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), the administration has launched a Rs 46.65 crore “Promotion of Beekeeping” project to triple honey production over the next 5 years.
Monitoring and traceability will be done through GI labs, besides 20 Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) will also be established for extended pollination facilities.
“Jammu and Kashmir will have a full-fledged center of excellence for constancy, capacity building and post-harvest management,” the spokesman said.
The government has also approved an Rs. 176 crore project to boost fish production which involves importing genetically improved fish seed, and upgrading existing hatcheries and fish-rearing units.
It will also introduce species diversity in aquaculture through R&D and commercializing trout and carp fish production using modern technologies such as Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) and Biofloc and is estimated to double trout and carp production over the next 5 years.
The milk production is expected to reach 45 Lakh MTs from 25 Lakh MTs over the next 5 years and will be achieved through a range of measures including expansion of breeding coverage and increasing per animal productivity.
One of the key elements of the Dairy under the HADP project is to increase per-animal productivity from 2400 litre to 4300 litre, which is a significant increase. This will be achieved through a range of interventions including the expansion of Artificial Insemination (AI) centers from 1389 to 2189, the spokesman added. (UNI)

SRINAGAR: To create enabling environment for transforming J&K agriculture and allied sectors in order to increase farmer income, ensure food security and accelerate UT's economic growth, Rs 3156 crore have been allocated for these vital sectors in the budget for 2023-24.

A Holistic Agriculture Development Plan has been rolled out with 29 proposed projects worth an outlay of Rs 5012 crore to be implemented over a period of next 5 years.

An official said that the novel initiative will create additional job opportunities for 2,87,910 people in agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors besides 18,861 new business enterprises will be created over the period of next five years.

Under the ambitious project, the government will create  67000 Metric Ton CA Storage Capacity enabling the farmers store their produce for better returns.

Jammu and Kashmir government is encouraging and aiding private players to set up cold storage (CA) facilities in order to reduce post harvest losses by increasing the shelf life of various agriculture and horticulture products, as well as to address the issue of distressed crop sales by farmers.

The government has taken several concrete steps to increase agriculture and horticulture production besides improving crop quality with a special emphasis on post-harvesting management infrastructure particularly in the private sector.

As part of HADP, the UT administration has launched a Rs 46.65 crore `Promotion of Beekeeping’ project to triple the honey production over the next 5 years.

Monitoring and traceability will be done through GI labs besides 20 Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) will also be established for extending pollination facilities. 'Jammu and Kashmir will have a full-fledged center of excellence for constancy, capacity building and post-harvest management,” said the official.

Under the project, the value addition of honey is also being envisioned coupled with efficient growth of bee sector using native honey bees.

To make Fish farming a prosperous sector, the UT government has approved a Rs. 176 crore project to boost fish production. The project involves importing genetically improved fish seed, upgrading existing hatcheries and fish rearing units, introducing species diversity in aquaculture through R&D and commercializing trout and carp fish production using modern technologies such as RAS and Biofloc and is estimated to double trout and carp production over the next 5 years.

Similarly, dairy is the biggest component of livestock husbandry and plays a pivotal role in sustaining agriculture income and acts as a growth engine for agriculture, allied sectors in J&K.

The milk production is expected to reach 45 Lakh MTs from 25 Lakh MTs over next 5 years and will be achieved through a range of measures including expansion of breeding coverage and increasing per animal productivity.

One of the key elements of the Dairy under HADP project is to increase per-animal productivity from 2400 litre to 4300 litre, which is a significant increase. This will be achieved through a range of interventions including the expansion of Artificial Insemination (AI) centers from 1389 to 2189. (GNS)