Jammu: J&K government on Saturday created ‘Agriculture Production Department’(APD) by merging three existing line departments viz., ‘Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Department’, ‘Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Department’ and ‘Horticulture Department’.
Following this, the Administrative Secretary, Agriculture Production Department will also be designated as Agriculture Production Commissioner.
The government claimed that the restructuring of line departments was aimed at “doubling farm income of farmers, orchardists and people, comprising 70 percent of the population, dependent on the animal, sheep husbandry and fisheries for their livelihood.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the creation of Agriculture Production Department, which shall consist of the “Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Department” comprising Agriculture; Agriculture Education; Agro Industries Development Corporation; Applied Nutrition Programme; Command Area Development; Land Use Development Board; Rakhs and Farms; Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST) Jammu/Kashmir; Special Programmes like BDP and DRAP etc; Sericulture; Jammu and Kashmir Advisory Board for Development of Kissans, “Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Department” comprising Animal Husbandry; Livestock Development Board Jammu/Kashmir; Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative Limited; Jammu and Kashmir Sheep and Sheep Products Development Board; Sheep Husbandry; Fisheries Development; Mission Dairy Development and “Horticulture Department” comprising Horticulture; Horticulture Planning and Marketing and Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation Limited,” read an order issued by Principal Secretary GAD Manoj Kumar Dwivedi.
“Consequent upon this, the Administrative Secretary, Agriculture Production Department shall also be designated as Agriculture Production Commissioner,” he further ordered.
Later, the government in an official statement stated that with the aim of doubling the farm income of farmers, orchardists and people dependent on the animal, sheep husbandry and fisheries for their livelihood, it ordered “comprehensive restructuring of the government departments dealing with these sectors.”
“These activities engage around 70 percent of the population of the UT and creation of a fully-fledged Agriculture Production Department by merging the three existing line departments namely Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare, Animal, Sheep Husbandry & Fisheries and Horticulture is likely to synergize efforts of government in achieving the target of doubling farm income, set by the Prime Minister,” it added.
The government maintained that the restructuring would ensure that all schemes for welfare of the population engaged in these sectors would be available under one umbrella in a single department.
“The benefits of various schemes available in these sectors can be converged and made available to farmers, orchardists etc. as a comprehensive package. The government decision shall also ensure that the inter-sectoral requirements of agriculture and allied sector are met in a hassle-free manner and will act as a milestone in a transparent and timely transfer of funds to the farmers,” it stated.
It maintained that this would also be a step forward to achieve the objective of the government to secure a comprehensive transformation in the livelihood of farmers in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by modernizing technological interventions and diversifying support systems available in the agriculture and allied sectors.
“The decision is likely to promote agri-entrepreneurship as a means of high return and respectable employment in a big way,” it added.