Jammu, Apr 5 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said that the Union Territory has registered a record increase in terms of area covered under natural farming, and is giving an impetus to organic farming.
He also said that in the long run, organic farming with technology-based assistance will reduce the input cost of agriculture and usher in rural prosperity.
“Natural and organic farming can effectively tackle the challenges posed by climate change and soil degradation. We are addressing the concerns of small and marginal farmers, and instead of narrow silos, agriculture and allied sector is being developed to ensure farm sustainability for the farmers,” the Lt Governor said.
He was speaking at the first zonal convention on natural farming at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Jammu.
“We are methodically developing a robust ecosystem by extending financial assistance, technological and marketing support for better realisation of prices to farmers,” he said.
The two-day convention on ‘Natural Farming: A National Priority for Human Health and Ecological Restoration’ will focus on environmental safety, public health and agricultural sustainability towards ensuring growth and prosperity of the farming community, an official spokesman said.
“With the combination of market linkages, large scale mechanisation, organic farming and farmer-centric reforms, we have made significant achievements in increasing our farmers’ income, wherein J&K ranks third on the list of top five states in terms of relative income of farmers.
“Our agriculture sector is going to contribute substantially towards realising the goal of a self-reliant India,” the Lt Governor said.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making organic farming a mass movement, Sinha urged the farming community to put more efforts for diversification and shift to organic farming.
The Lt Governor also underlined the importance of harnessing the full potential of organic farming and utilising local resources, besides developing the infrastructure keeping in mind the requirements of the national and international markets.
“This year’s budget of the UT has a huge allocation of Rs 2,835 crore for the agriculture sector and Rs 646 crore for the horticulture sector. For the development of the dairy and sheep sector, Rs 392 crore has been allocated to bring positive changes in the lives of the farming community,” he said.
He also said that collective efforts are being made to bring down the usage of fertilizers.
“Subsidy is being provided to the entrepreneurs and dairy industry. Besides, nine lakh farmers will be provided with improved quality seeds. We also aim to add another two lakh metric tonnes into the food processing and storage capacity,” he added.
Earlier, the Lt Governor conferred Krishak Rattan and entrepreneurial awards to Padma Shri Bharat Bhushan Tyagi, Javed Ahmed, Sham Singh Chowdhary, Sanjay Kumar and Dinkar Kaushal for their contribution in natural farming.
He laid the foundation stone for the International Family Hostel at SKUAST and visited various stalls put up by startsups. PTI TAS TAS ANB HVA HVA
