Agriculture policy

Agroforestry, which integrates trees into farming systems, has been consistently championed by the government as a multi-faceted solution to national priorities. These include doubling farmers' income, increasing tree cover outside traditional forest areas, mitigating climate change, reducing timber imports, and ensuring sustainable land management.

The Union Minister highlighted the Government of India’s steadfast commitment to the growth of Jammu and Kashmir’s livestock and fisheries sectors as engines of rural income and nutritional security.

Emphasising on the extensive involvement of PACS in the food storage scheme, the Union Minister of Cooperation said that it is necessary to make PACS an integral part of this scheme so that the financial viability and social effectiveness of PACS can be ensured.

Through the KCC framework, farmers benefit from revolving credit facilities for up to five years. This flexible structure allows them to draw and repay funds as per their seasonal requirements without having to reapply for loans each season.

He urged agro-based industries, NGOs, MPs, and MLAs to adopt villages and help build agri-entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The data collected from multiple panchayats in the region paints a sobering picture. In areas such as Dhangwan, Laharpur, and Boridand, over 40 per cent of farmers surveyed reported a drastic decrease in crop diversity in the past decade.

Dhankhar urged farmers to see themselves as entrepreneurs with the potential to drive rural economies. He underscored the importance of participating in the input chain of agriculture (fertilizers, pesticides, machinery) and the output chain including storage, processing, and retail.

The ministry of agriculture and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will jointly implement the campaign with a broad coalition of stakeholders, including agricultural universities, state government departments, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and leading progressive farmers.