Jammu, Dec 22 (IANS): Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha has announced the 'Holistic Development of Agriculture and Allied Sectors' scheme on Wednesday, officials said.
The project has been approved by the J&K Administrative Council, chaired by Sinha.
The officials said that in July 2022, the union territory (UT) administration constituted an apex committee for holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors for which leading luminaries were invited.
"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 Agriculture Production Department in a record time of five 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," an official statement said.
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 5,013 crore over the next five years will 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 and commercially viable. This will herald a new phase of farmer prosperity and rural livelihood security in J&K," the statement added.
"These 29 projects will nearly double the output of the sectors, boosting exports and making the sectors sustainable and commercially viable. These gains will be equitable, reaching the last person in the mile and ecologically sustainable through efficient use of bio-resources for food, feed and industry. The agricultural output which stands at Rs 37,600 crore will increase by more than Rs 28,142 crore to reach more than Rs 65,700 crore per year, with a resultant increment in sectoral growth rate to 11 per cent."
"The interventions will create employment opportunities for over 2.8 lakh youth and establish around 19,000 enterprises. More than 2.5 lakh persons will be skilled in various agri-enterprises ranging from seed production, precision farming of vegetables, bee-rearing, cocoon production, mushroom farming, integrated and organic agriculture, high-density fruit farming to processing, dairying, sheep and poultry farming as well as fodder production. In the next five years the UT will have a motivated workforce with agri-entrepreneurial skills in a commercially viable and ecologically sustainable agri-ecosystem."