The three-day Apex Committee midterm review of Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) concluded Wednesday with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo presiding over the brainstorming session on planning agriculture strategy for next 25 years.
Chairman Apex Committee HADP Dr Mangla Rai; Financial Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Shailendra Kumar, Vice Chancellor SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmmad Ganai; Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-J, BN Tripathi; and other members of committee, besides, Principal Investigators of HADP projects, Directors of Line Departments, and SKUAST-K officers and faculty members participated in the review meeting and road ahead discussion.
Chief Secretary, while talking about the progress of HADP in past two years, said the program has strengthened the seed system, improved niche crop production and their competitive advantage, development of climate resilient varieties, value chain development, and innovation and technology.
Atal Dulloo said HADP has not only helped the farming community but has attracted the youth towards agriculture, who were otherwise looking for jobs. Due to this project the capital expenditure in agriculture has increased by more than threefold while as the agriculture universities have got substantial funding for research and development (R&D), which will have long term impact on the agriculture sector and farming community of J&K.
However, he said, the time is now to address far-flung areas which are yet to get benefitted from the program and stressed on outreach in those pockets of the UT which have not received substantial benefit from the program so far.
Dr Mangla Rai emphasised on utilsing the HADP program for planning agriculture policy for next 25 years targeting prosperity and development of the region. He said there is need for mapping of all the water bodies in J&K.
Shailendra Kumar asked the scientists to develop their ideas for HADP phase II and phase III envisioning a policy aimed at targeting next 15-20 years.
VC SKUAST-K, while welcoming the chief secretary and apex committee members, said HADP is a socio development program.
Members of the committee, directors of line department and PIs and SKUAST-K officers actively participated in the brainstorming session outlining their ideas.