Budgam: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Tuesday said that the fast pace of progress during the last three years was reviving agriculture and allied sectors.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that addressing the Kisan Sampark Abhiyan at Panchayat Harda Panzoo in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, he said, “The fast pace of progress in reviving agriculture and allied sector in the last three years gives us hope that more and more youth will be inspired to take up farming and we will be able to build a better future for our young generations.”
Sinha said that the orientation and training programme would enable seamless implementation of 29 projects of Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) and further strengthen agriculture and allied sectors to achieve the goal of inclusive growth.
“We have accorded higher priority than ever before on increasing the sustainability of farm livelihoods. The 29 projects being implemented under the HADP will ensure each one of our villages are seen as a centre of rural prosperity,” he said.
Highlighting the significant contribution of farmers in the progress of J&K, the LG called upon all sections of the society to honour the hard work of 70 percent of the population of J&K dependent on agriculture.
He said that this 70 percent population was the biggest strength of J&K and despite numerous challenges they were toiling day and night to feed the people.
Sinha shared the vision of the government, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for creating a strong ecosystem for the growth of the agriculture sector in J&K.
Speaking on key features of the HADP, he said that the HADP projects would enhance the capacity of small and marginal farmers, improve their access to technology, institutional credit, domestic and international market and develop critical infrastructure like post-harvest processing facilities.
The LG highlighted the reforms introduced to strengthen the agri-economy and to deliver socio-economic benefits to small and marginal farmers of J&K.
“We are implementing several new initiatives such as rural business and service hubs to provide critical inputs, market intervention in favour of farmers to ensure that the benefits of the crops reach directly to the farming community,” he said.
Sinha congratulated the farmers of Budgam for transforming the agricultural scenario of the district.
He reiterated the government’s commitment towards creation of a support system to facilitate the farmers, who were adopting the cultivation of exotic vegetables, niche crops, medicinal, high-density cultivation, and floriculture.
The LG said that in the last financial year, 14 hi-tech poly green houses and 110 mushroom units were set up in the district.
“Moreover, five vegetable clusters growing organic, exotic and conventional vegetables have been established and all these efforts have resulted in the export of 43,000 metric tonnes of vegetables, 53 metric tonnes of Lal Mirch and 200 metric tonnes of sweet corn from the district during 2022-23,” he said.
Addressing the local issues of public importance, Sinha said that the administration was making consistent efforts for the welfare of the people and the work on the District Hospital Budgam would start soon. He also felicitated the progressive farmers on the occasion.
District Development Council (DDC) Chairperson Budgam, Nazir Ahmed Khan expressed gratitude to the LG- led J&K administration for introducing progressive agricultural reforms in the region.
Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo and Vice Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K) Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the key initiatives taken for effective implementation of the projects under HADP.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Budgam Akshay Labroo were also present on the occasion.
A total of 10,695 training sessions are being organised across J&K during the four-month Kisan Sampark Abhiyan.
