To create an enabling environment for transforming J&K’s agriculture and allied sectors in order to increase farmer income, ensure food security and accelerate UT’s economic growth, Rs 3,156 crore has been allocated for these vital sectors in the budget for 2023-24, officials said on Friday.
A Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) has been rolled out with 29 proposed projects worth an outlay of Rs 5,012 crore to be implemented over a period of next five years.
“Under the ambitious project, the government will create 67,000 metric tonne CA Storage Capacity enabling the farmers to store their produce for better returns,” an official statement said.
The government has taken several concrete steps to increase agriculture and horticulture production besides improving crop quality with a special emphasis on post-harvesting management infrastructure, particularly in the private sector.
As part of HADP, the UT administration has launched a Rs 46.65 crore ‘Promotion of Beekeeping’ project to triple the honey production over the next five years.
To make fish farming a prosperous sector, the UT government has approved a Rs 176 crore project to boost the production.
“The milk production is expected to reach 45 lakh MTs from 25 lakh MTs over the next 5 years and will be achieved through a range of measures, including expansion of breeding coverage and increasing per animal productivity,” the statement said.
“One of the key elements of the dairy sector under the HADP project is to increase per-animal productivity from 2,400 litre to 4,300 litre, which is a significant increase. This will be achieved through a range of interventions, including the expansion of Artificial Insemination (AI) centres from 1,389 to 2,189.”