Director Agriculture, Kashmir Sartaj Ahmed Shah on Wednesday said that they are aiming to boost agricultural and allied sectors’ contribution to the Union Territory’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to Rs 1 lakh crore by 2030, up from the current Rs 37,000 crore.
Ahmed in Sopore, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that achieving this ambitious target would only be possible if farmers are provided with timely access to quality inputs such as seeds, irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides.
He urged fertilizer and pesticide dealers to uphold quality control and regulatory compliance.
The Director announced that the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) is being considered for inclusion of apple orchards, which are currently not covered.
“While maize and paddy are the main crops under coverage right now, there is a strong need to include apples. We are optimistic that the scheme will be approved by September, and by next season, apple growers will be able to avail insurance benefits under RWBCIS,” Ahmed stated.
Addressing concerns over fertilizer quality, the Director clarified that there have been no formal complaints of misbranded or substandard chemical fertilizers like DAP, Urea, or MOP in the region so far.
“A complaint cannot be considered valid unless verified through lab testing. The tests are conducted at the Lal Mandi facility, and unless the nutrient value falls below the permissible limit, we cannot label any fertilizer as misbranded. Thankfully, none of the samples of DAP, Urea, or MOP have shown any such deficiency,” he said.
On the recent climatic challenges, the Director acknowledged that the heatwave had triggered drought-like conditions in many areas. However, he added that the recent rainfall has come as a blessing and could potentially reverse the losses.
“We were witnessing a distressing dry spell, but by the grace of Allah, the weather changed and some rainfall occurred. If we receive another couple of good showers, we expect much of the crop damage to be recovered. We are hopeful for a decent harvest,” he said—(KNO)
