Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday rejected “misinformation” surrounding the recent Indo-US trade deal and asserted that the Centre remains firmly committed to safeguarding farmers’ interests.
He highlighted that the ‘Agriculture First’ policy will ensure developed India and ‘Aatmanirbhar’ Jammu Kashmir.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday raised serious concerns over the India-US interim trade deal, saying it could adversely impact the Union Territory’s dry fruit and horticulture economy.
“What we have is horticulture produce like dry fruits, walnut, almond, saffron, apple and kiwi. Now, if all these items start coming duty-free from the US, Jammu and Kashmir is bound to suffer losses,” Abdullah had said.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day ‘Agriculture Summit and Kisan Mela’ organised by SKUAST, Jammu, the Lt Governor without naming anyone said misinformation is being spread around the recent trade deal and trade agreement, asserting that the centre is resolved to safeguard farmers’ Interests.
“Government of India is implementing robust safeguards to ensure farmers and their production remain unharmed,” Sinha said.
He emphasised that agriculture and allied sectors are the ultimate insurance policy that no developing society or nation can afford to ignore.
“Despite relentless tests by challenges-from climate change to economic uncertainty-one truth emerges unscathed that agriculture and allied sectors will keep us stable and our citizens prosperous,” the LG said.
He spoke on the transformative impact of ‘AI-Powered Advanced Agriculture’ and called for making the technology tools affordable and accessible which can predict output using weather, soil, and crop data so small and marginal farmers can plan their crops strategically.
“Technology and Agriculture Development must go hand in hand. Technological progress births new startups, industries and unicorns and fields birth life itself. Technology creates opportunities; agriculture and allied sectors create survival.
“Strong agriculture means a strong nation. Strong agriculture sector is the foundation of national resilience, an advanced economy and human prosperity,” he said.
The Lt Governor extended his heartfelt gratitude to the agricultural scientists and the farming community, attributing India’s emergence as a global top performer in agriculture and allied sectors to their relentless hard work and innovation.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned a future where every plate in the world features at least one Indian dish. The day this milestone is achieved, the agricultural sector will emerge as the largest contributor to a Viksit Bharat,” he said.
Sinha said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while chairing a high-level review meeting, during his recent visit to the UT has also reiterated the Government’s commitment to boosting the J&K’s dairy sector by prioritizing the two lakh liters per day milk processing capacity through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
The Lt Governor directed officials, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) and experts to deploy IoT sensors and satellite imagery to create digital farm twins which will enable precision irrigation that slashes water use by 50-60 per cent.
He also called for building farmer-centric AI tools that boost yields 15-30 per cent, cut input costs by 50 per cent, and deliver real-time soil, crop health, and nutrient data to small and marginal farmers.
“AI-technology will revolutionize agriculture and allied sectors. We need viable, affordable, high-impact solutions designed for small and marginal farmers in J&K,” he said.
The Lt Governor also directed the officials and SKUAST to establish village-level seed banks stocked with climate-resilient local varieties.
“Scientists and officers must realise that civilization’s fate hangs on every seed sowed in the soil. Agriculture is one of the key sectors that locks in both national advancement and human welfare. It will continue to guarantee progress regardless of global turbulence,” he said.
Sinha laid special emphasis on creating circular farming models where crop waste becomes high-protein animal feed and manure returns as organic fertilizer-boosting soil health on-site, eliminating external inputs.
“Continued focus should be on building processing facilities in all 20 districts, and we must connect Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) directly to consumers for value-added products to capture margins for farmers, which is often lost to middlemen,” he said. (With inputs from PTI)
