The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is set to provide $100 million to support the implementation of the "Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP)" in Jammu and Kashmir. The JKCIP project has been approved by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, and the proposal has been sent to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) for financing through IFAD.
The JKCIP project aims to increase the income of rural households in Jammu and Kashmir by improving pre-production, production, and post-production verticals of agriculture. It will be implemented over a period of seven years, from 2023 to 2030, and will cover all districts in Jammu and Kashmir.
The project will adopt a value chain approach with a focus on exporting high-value agricultural commodities, developing business incubation centers, and providing start-up support. The JKCIP project has four components, including value chain support, incubation and start-up support, support to vulnerable communities, and project management. The value chain support component will focus on promoting the export of high-value agricultural commodities by improving production and processing systems. The incubation and start-up support component will provide entrepreneurship training, business incubation centers, and start-up support to the youth and other aspiring entrepreneurs.
The support to vulnerable communities component will focus on providing assistance to marginalized communities, such as tribal communities, living in vulnerable landscapes such as hillsides, rangelands, semi-arid and arid lands and relying on climate-sensitive natural resources. The project will aim to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices for these communities.
The project management component will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the JKCIP project, monitoring its progress, and ensuring that it achieves its objectives. The project will undertake GI tagging, aggregation, processing, and marketing of at least six agriculture and minor forest products.
According to Atal Dulloo, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Agriculture Production Department, the JKCIP project will have a number of positive outcomes that will complement the growth of agriculture and allied sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
The project will promote the export of potential agricultural commodities, establish 60,000 integrated farming models for fringe and nomadic communities, and establish 200 horticultural nurseries.
