Jammu- Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir’s economy is now growing strongly, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said his administration is focused on enhancing productivity and expansion of agro-processing and value chains.
Individual farmer incomes have grown solidly over the last two years and the pace of reform has quickened recently followed by recommendations of the Apex Committee on holistic development of Agriculture and allied sectors, he added.
“J&K’s economy is now growing quite strongly and Agri reform is the best cure for sustained growth. Our steps are focused on enhancing productivity, competitiveness, removing disparities, diversification to higher value commodities, expansion of agro-processing and value chains,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
Addressing the gathering of farmers and agricultural scientists after inaugurating IFFCO’s farmer’s convention on liquid Nano Urea here, Sinha said the biggest challenge before the country is to make fertilisers more sustainable for the future and ensure adequate nutrition.
“Nano Urea enhances productivity, quality, reduces CO2 emission and increases farmer’s profitability,” he said.
Noting that the relationship between administration and society is changing and people and government are devising a new mechanism to work together, Sinha stressed that farmers and officials should work together and strengthen the collaboration in order to put the agri-economy on a new trajectory of growth and better implementation of reforms.
“We have huge potential for processing, comparative advantage in several Agri-commodities and scope for mobilising farmers through FPOs and SHGs to monetise produce, secure livelihood and standard of living for farmers and workers,” he said.
In order to meet the challenges of climate change, high farm input cost, productivity, and resilience against socio-economic factors, he said, “We are implementing policies that tackle the problems and create synergies between a range of concerns and with the multiple stakeholders”.
Congratulating Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) for developing liquid Nano Urea aimed at reducing pollution and increasing crop production, Sinha said liquid Nano Urea is making a positive impact in J&K’s agriculture sector.
IFFCO’s initiatives like training on the use of Nano Urea, battery-operated sprayers and spray-drones and declaring villages – Akalpur in Jammu and Y K Pora in Kashmir – as IFFCO Nano Fertiliser Model Villages will surely complement the government’s efforts in protecting and improving the fertility of our agricultural fields, he noted.
The Lieutenant Governor observed that Mangala Rai-led Apex Committee on Agriculture provides a futuristic roadmap for the upliftment of the farming community and making agriculture sustainable and productive for the coming generations, especially for those involved in traditional and high-value crops.
Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo said 140 PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras will be established in phase-I in J&K in collaboration with IFFCO and fertiliser companies, which will provide information, advisories and equipment required for farming, besides increasing interactions between agricultural scientists and farmers.
IFFCO Managing Director & CEO US Awasthi threw light on the key features and benefits of Nano Urea in increasing farm productivity.
Later, the Lieutenant Governor distributed incentives and awards to the progressive farmers.