Agri reforms
Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a new agricultural boom. The Centre has earmarked ₹5,013 crore for the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme. HADP is designed to transform agriculture from subsistence-driven practices to sustainable, resilient, and income-generating livelihoods. Under this programme, 29 interlinked projects spanning agriculture, horticulture, and livestock sectors have been taken up to boost the agri-economy in Jammu and Kashmir. Agriculture and allied sectors are the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s rural economy, supporting over 13 lakh families and contributing nearly one-fifth of the region’s Gross State Value Added. However, fragmented landholdings, low capital formation, limited mechanisation, inadequate access to quality inputs, and underdeveloped post-harvest infrastructure have suppressed productivity and farmer incomes. The Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, dedicated to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the Prime Minister in 2024, represents a decisive shift in approach. Conceived not as a collection of schemes but as a comprehensive systems reform, it seeks to fundamentally re-engineer the agricultural economy of the Union Territory. More than 3.7 lakh farmers have been registered under the programme, with around 171 activities opened for applications. Over 5.9 lakh applications have been received so far, of which nearly 4 lakh have been approved across districts. On the ground, more than 92,000 productive units covering farms, nurseries, livestock units, mushroom cultivation, poultry, and value-addition enterprises have already been established, with over 86,000 units actively tracked through digital dashboards. Capacity building has remained central to the programme. Through DakshKisan, over 3.5 lakh farmers have been onboarded for structured skilling and orientation, with nearly 3 lakh course completions recorded. This focus aims to strengthen on-farm decision-making related to crop selection, input optimisation, enterprise choice, and risk management. No doubt, HADP has transformed the agriculture sector as a whole, yet Kashmir’s horticulture sector suffers in silence. Horticulture is the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy. Unseasonal rains, hailstorms, and floods, coupled with highway blues, have been wreaking havoc on Kashmir’s horticulture. Ninety percent of horticulturists in Kashmir are marginal growers, and they suffer the most due to the natural vagaries. With insurers refusing to bring horticulture under the crop insurance scheme, it is the farmers who bear the brunt. More than 344,696 hectares of land are under horticultural cultivation. Fresh fruit cultivation spans 252,257 hectares, while dry fruit orchards cover 92,438 hectares. The horticulture sector is the only hope since its revenue percolates to the lowest denominator of society. Last year, two insurance companies had submitted their bids for the scheme. However, they were rejected because they had quoted rates over and above the norms. The Omar Abdullah government has now appealed to the Centre to convince big insurance companies to participate in the bids. The Centre should now chip in and convince insurers to include the horticulture sector under the horticulture scheme. The move will go a long way in instilling confidence among our marginal farmers.