Jammu Tawi, Feb 11: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday asserted that the “Agriculture First” policy is crucial for achieving a developed India and an Aatma-Nirbhar Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating the Centre’s firm commitment to safeguarding farmers’ interests.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Agriculture Summit and Kisan Mela at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, the Lieutenant Governor dismissed misinformation surrounding recent trade agreements and assured that robust safeguards are in place to protect farmers and their produce.
He said that despite challenges posed by climate change and economic uncertainty, agriculture and allied sectors remain the backbone of national stability and prosperity. Stressing the need for synergy between technology and agriculture, LG Sinha said technology drives opportunities while agriculture ensures survival, making a strong agricultural sector the foundation of national resilience, economic growth and human welfare.
The Lieutenant Governor expressed gratitude to agricultural scientists and farmers, crediting their innovation and dedication for India’s emergence as a global leader in agriculture and allied sectors. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, he said that when Indian food becomes a staple worldwide, agriculture will emerge as the largest contributor to a Viksit Bharat.
He also highlighted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent assurance to boost Jammu and Kashmir’s dairy sector by prioritizing a milk processing capacity of two lakh litres per day through the National Dairy Development Board.
Emphasizing the transformative role of artificial intelligence, LG Sinha said AI and digital technologies are set to revolutionize agriculture. He directed officials and SKUAST experts to deploy IoT sensors and satellite imagery to create “digital farm twins,” enabling precision irrigation and reducing water usage by 50–60 percent. He also called for farmer-centric AI tools to increase yields by 15–30 percent, cut input costs by up to 50 percent, and provide real-time soil and crop health data, especially to small and marginal farmers.
The Lieutenant Governor stressed the need to make technology affordable and accessible so farmers can plan crops strategically using weather, soil and crop data. He also directed the establishment of village-level seed banks with climate-resilient local varieties and advocated circular farming models where crop waste is converted into animal feed and manure is reused as organic fertilizer.
Calling agriculture vital for civilization’s future, LG Sinha urged the creation of processing facilities in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir and emphasized connecting Farmer Producer Organizations directly with consumers to help farmers retain value often lost to middlemen.
On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor launched the Crop Cultivation Scheme of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and inaugurated several facilities, including the Bayer Learning Centre, Branding Centre and Pesticide Quality Control Laboratory. The event also saw the felicitation of AgriThon 2.0 Startup award winners and the release of agricultural publications.
