The IFAD Start-up Mission under the Jammu & Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP) commenced today at SKUAST-Kashmir.

The five-day mission (Oct 13–17) aims to strengthen implementation readiness and foster coordination among project teams and stakeholders.
The inaugural session was chaired by Mission Director, HADP/JKCIP, Sandeep Kumar, in the presence of Prof. H.R. Naik, Director Research SKUAST-Kashmir, representatives from IFAD, line departments, faculty from SKUAST-Kashmir and SKUAST-Jammu, and JKCIP coordinators.
In his address, Sandeep Kumar outlined the project’s vision and stressed interdepartmental synergy vital for effective implementation.
Meera Mishra, Country Coordinator, and James Marc de Sousa Shields, Country Director, IFAD, reaffirmed IFAD’s commitment to building a resilient, market-led, and inclusive agri-development ecosystem in J&K.
Several publications were unveiled during the session, including Bimonthly JKCIP Newsletter; Training Curriculum for Capacity Building; Farmers’ Scheme Guide (Revised Edition) and Curriculum on Horticulture Promotion.
Technical presentations by Dr. Rizwan Qureshi, Gitika Goswami, and Anil Gupta covered project progress, mainstreaming themes (gender and youth), and climate-smart, market-led production approaches.
The Mission will continue through the week with thematic deliberations on institutional frameworks and sustainable agricultural competitiveness across J&K