Agriculture: A Driving Force of Kashmir’s Economy

Jammu and Kashmir's economy predominantly depends on the agriculture sector. About 70% of its population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. Horticulture plays an important role in the economic development of the state.

Several horticultural activities revolve around Kashmir. It is the wealthiest region of the state. The Kashmir valley is known for its cold-water fisheries and sericulture activities, wood that comes from Kashmir is used in making high-quality cricket bats, known as Kashmir Willow. 

Jammu and Kashmir's agricultural export business is vast. It includes the export of apples, oranges, rice, peaches, pears, barley, cherries, maize, saffron, and various vegetables. Several manufactured goods are also exported, such as handicrafts, shawls, and rugs. Agriculture and horticulture export businesses are the largest sources of income of the state, with a turnover of over 300 crores annually. The Jammu and Kashmir government is working on a vision of providing farmers with a high return for their crops by providing sustainability and intervention of modern agricultural equipment.

The mechanization of farming sectors in recent years is slowly transforming the agricultural outlook of farmers. The government is setting up custom hiring sectors and farm machinery banks in the state. Around 150 custom centers and 120 farm machinery banks have been started. Recently, direct financial assistance has been provided to around 11lakh farmers. Kisan credit cards and incentives worth Rs.1706 have been distributed among millions of farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme.

Also, Paddy threshers are soon to be distributed among Panchayats. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) has decided that it will provide farmers with the option of selling saffron at its outlets across the country.

As agriculture is the driving force of Jammu and Kashmir, the government reforms are contributing tremendously to yield encouraging results in the sector.