J-K Govt Forms Panel to Draft Export Promotion Policy for Agri Commodities

The Jammu and Kashmir administration formed an expert committee on 15th December to develop a comprehensive export promotion policy to identify agricultural commodities that can be exported from the Union Territory.

According to a senior officer, the policy's main goal is to increase annual agricultural exports from Rs 190 crore to Rs 3,000 crore over the next five years.

"The committee's primary assignment would be to develop commodity-specific export promotion recommendations that would include strategic and operational aspects of the export and to provide all necessary technical inputs to the agriculture production department within one month for finalization and implementation on the ground," he said.

According to the officer, the policy would promote the brand "Jammu and Kashmir" for its pristine agro-climatic conditions, uniqueness, and near-organic quality. The Jammu region has a subtropical climate, with hot summers. The temperature rises in March and reaches its highest point in April. In the summer, the maximum temperature can reach 45 degrees Celsius. The weather in Kashmir is pleasant, with temperatures ranging from 14 to 30 degrees Celsius.

He said it would aim to shift the focus from simply harvesting and selling produce locally to a demand-driven supply activity focusing on GI tagging, processing, stringent quality control, international certifications, traceability, branding, and marketing of the produce.

The policy will also focus on market access initiatives supported by export promotion organizations, trade promotion organizations, national-level institutions, research institutions, universities, laboratories, and exporters to increase exports by entering new markets or increasing market share in existing markets.