Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed grants worth several thousand crores for Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Cooperatives and Election departments after day-long deliberations in the House.
The grants, cleared through a voice vote, include ₹4,56,569.56 lakh for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, ₹2,42,386.40 lakh for Agriculture, ₹1,16,040.98 lakh for Animal and Sheep Husbandry, ₹69,648.23 lakh for Horticulture, ₹20,620.56 lakh for Fisheries, ₹26,611.42 lakh for Cooperatives and ₹36,126.71 lakh for the Election Department.
Winding up the discussion, Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Cooperatives and Elections Javid Ahmed Dar described agriculture and allied sectors as the “lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy,” stating they sustain rural livelihoods, generate employment and ensure food security.
He informed the House that agriculture and allied activities contribute about ₹41,273 crore to the Union Territory’s economy, accounting for nearly 19 per cent of the SGDP. Of this, horticulture contributes 41 per cent, livestock 33 per cent and core agriculture about 25 per cent.
Dar said the government has adopted a dual strategy of strengthening agricultural infrastructure while empowering farmers through beneficiary-driven interventions. He highlighted the implementation of schemes such as the High-Density Plantation Scheme, Integrated Dairy Development Scheme, Integrated Sheep Development Scheme and Integrated Poultry Development Programme in mission mode under UT Capex and other initiatives including HADP and JKCIP.
He said J&K has moved towards a diversified, climate-smart and technology-enabled agriculture model, with net cultivable area increasing by nearly 80,000 hectares to 13.50 lakh hectares. The government has also established 332 hi-tech greenhouses and 848 polyhouses, boosting cropping intensity and protecting yields from climate variability.
The minister said oilseed cultivation has expanded from 1.4 lakh hectares to 2.1 lakh hectares, resulting in a sharp rise in production and supporting 77 per cent growth in apiculture. Honey production has crossed 3,895 metric tonnes, supported by distribution of over one lakh bee colonies and 11 honey processing units. Mushroom production has also risen by 31 per cent in the past three years.
He added that fruit production has increased to 26.92 lakh metric tonnes, with a target of 29.72 lakh metric tonnes by 2029–30. A mega fruit nursery at R.S. Pura has been commissioned, while elite nurseries and quarantine facilities are being developed at Udhampur and Anantnag. The government also plans to add 15,000 metric tonnes of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage capacity during the current financial year.
Dar said digital initiatives such as the JKCIP portal, HADP 360 portal and Kisan Khidmat Ghars are improving last-mile service delivery, with more than eight lakh farmers onboarded to digital platforms. He also informed that 2.01 lakh farmers were covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana during Kharif 2025.
The minister announced the launch of an Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Mission with a ₹150 crore outlay and implementation of the Restructured Weather Based Insurance Scheme for crops including apple, saffron, mango and litchi with a total sum insured of ₹6,594.93 crore. A 25 per cent top-up subsidy has also been earmarked to promote micro and sprinkler irrigation systems.
In a major initiative, Dar announced that the government will establish one “Viksit Village” in every Assembly constituency under a model village framework, with an outlay of ₹18,000 lakh under UT Capex 2026–27 to provide modern infrastructure, education, healthcare and livelihood opportunities.
Highlighting dairy development, he said Jammu and Kashmir currently produces around 30 lakh metric tonnes of milk annually, with a target of 43 lakh metric tonnes by 2030. Seven milk processing plants of one lakh litre per day capacity are proposed at an estimated cost of ₹770 crore. The government also imported high genetic merit breeding calves and elite sheep breeds to improve productivity in the livestock sector.
On rural development, the minister said MGNREGA generated significant employment in 2025–26, while 15,093 houses were completed under PMAY-Gramin during the year, taking the cumulative total to 3.23 lakh houses. Under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), thousands of individual household latrines and community sanitary complexes have been constructed.
He added that 7.9 lakh rural women have been mobilised into over 95,000 self-help groups, with substantial credit linkage support. The Lakhpati Didi initiative has already created over 2.01 lakh beneficiaries.
Speaking on the cooperative sector, Dar said the government plans to modernise Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and establish 40 new micro food processing units to promote value addition and rural employment.
Several legislators participated in the discussion, and later withdrew their cut motions after the minister assured the House that issues raised would be addressed.
