J&K Govt Launches Project Worth Rs 84 crore to Encourage Sustainable Agriculture

J&K government has set aside Rs 84 crore for the program's support over the next five years. This initiative is part of a larger effort to promote sustainable agriculture, commercial agriculture, and the production of healthy food. According to an official release, the project will create over 12600 jobs and 300 businesses in the organic agri-sector.

The programme included a variety of interventions to support organic farming, such as clustering organic cultivation, producing and recycling bio-inputs, facilitating certification and marketing, and providing farmers with training and capacity building. The project intends to establish six to seven organic clusters per district, totaling 2000 hectares of land. It also intends to convert an additional 2,000 hectares to organic production, including niche crops and default organic areas.

The programme will also provide organic farming training to 10,000 farmer families, as well as establish 200 commercial and 3000 low-cost vermicompost units, as well as 100 Integrated Organic Farming System Units. In addition, two Bio-Input Production Units will be established to supply organic inputs to the production clusters. "The project will have a number of positive outcomes that will further fuel growth in organic production within J-K," said Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department.

"J-K has a number of remote areas where very little chemical use is being undertaken in Agriculture. Furthermore, the farmers in these areas are typically marginal and economically disadvantaged. Organic cultivation will secure these farmers' livelihoods and significantly increase their returns," he added. The 'Alternate Agriculture System for Sustainability' is one of 29 projects approved by the Jammu and Kashmir administration after being recommended by the UT Level Apex Committee for the holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors in the J-K UT.

The prestigious committee will be headed by Dr Mangala Rai, Former DG ICAR, and will include other agricultural, planning, statistics, and administration luminaries such as Ashok Dalwai, CEO NRAA, Dr PK Joshi, Secretary, NAAS, Dr Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner MOA & FW, Dr HS Gupta, Former Director, IARI, and Atal Dulloo, ACS, Agriculture Production. According to an official release, one of the project's main goals is to increase the area under certified organic cultivation to 4000 hectares, involving 10,000 farmer families.

The program's goal is to promote organic farming and provide farmers with information about organic input production and resource recycling, as well as to assist them in obtaining certification for their produce, which will result in a higher price. The programme will also help scientists, extension workers, and farmers develop their skills. Participatory farmers, certification organisations such as NCOF, APEDA, NPOP, and PKVY, organic entrepreneurs for bio-input production, and SHG/FPOs/CIGs for effective marketing will all support the programme.

J-K government's Alternate Agriculture System project is a significant step forward in promoting sustainable agriculture and supporting the economic well-being of farmers in the region. The programme will help create a clean and safe production ecosystem while also contributing significantly to the state's GDP by promoting organic farming and creating a value chain for organic produce.