SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today interacted with the members of Apex Committee for Holistic Development of Agriculture & Allied sectors in the UT of J&K. The committee is headed by Dr. Mangala Rai, former Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
The Lt Governor discussed with the members about area specific interventions and projects under Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
The Apex Committee Members lauded the committed efforts of the UT Administration for the effective on-ground implementation of HADP in Jammu Kashmir. The members of the apex committee also interacted with Sh Khuram Mir, Horticultural Entrepreneur from Shopian who briefed them about his endeavours and the private investment he brought in horticulture sector of the district.
Dr Mangala Rai; Dr Ashok Dalwai, CEO NRAA; Sh Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Sh Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department; Dr PK Joshi, Secretary NAAS; Dr HS Gupta, former Director IARI; Dr BN Tripathi, VC SKUAST Jammu; Dr Nazir Ahmed Ganai, VC SKUAST Kashmir and Dr JP Sharma, former VC SKUAST Jammu were present.
Dr Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lt Governor and Ms Yasha Mudgal, Mission Director HADP were also present during the meeting at Raj Bhawan.
UT administration constituted an Apex Committee for holistic development of Agriculture & Allied Sectors few years ago and the committee working in a mission mode came with a comprehensive plan in the form of 29 projects covering all the sectors within the ambit of APD in a record time of 5 months. The unique thing about these projects is not only that they have been prepared by some of
the finest brains in the country but also the fact that their formulation was undertaken in a consultative mode – ensuring that the opinion of all stakeholders including our farmers are taken onboard.
The Lt Governor said: “Having gone through the contents of the projects that have been cleared by the committee and their expected outputs and outcomes, I am confident that a new revolution in the agriculture and allied sectors of the UT is on the anvil. J&K is determined to move forward to touch new heights of success “.
The projects which have now been approved by the administrative council and having an outlay of Rs. 5013 crores over the next five years shall transform the agriculture economy of J&K putting it on a new trajectory of growth, doubling the output of the sectors, boosting exports and making the sectors sustainable & commercially viable. This will herald a new phase of farmer prosperity and rural livelihood security in J&K.
These twenty-nine projects will almost double the output of the sectors, boosting exports and making the sectors sustainable & commercially viable. These gains shall be equitable, reaching the last person in the pyramid and ecologically sustainable through efficient use of bioresources for food, feed & industry. The agricultural output which stands at Rs 37600 crores shall 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%. The interventions shall create employment opportunities for over 2.8 lakh youth and establish around 19,000 enterprises. More than 2.5 lakh persons shall be skilled in various agrienterprises 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. In the next five years the UT shall have a motivated workforce with agri-entrepreneurial skills in a commercially viable and ecologically sustainable agri-ecosystem.
Apex Committee members laud J&K on HADP implementation
