Mission Director, HADP Sandeep Kumar inaugurated a five-day Capacity Building Programme for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Chairman/Board of Directors (BODs) of Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) from across Jammu and Kashmir in the presence of Director Agriculture Jammu, Arvinder Singh Reen, Director Research SKUAST-Jammu, Dr. S.K. Gupta, senior officers of the department, faculty members and project staff.

The programme, organized under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), is being held from July 7 to 11, 2025. The programme is a joint initiative of the Department of Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare Jammu and SKUAST-Jammu in collaboration with MANAGE-Hyderabad.

In his address, Sandeep Kumar emphasized addressing the technical challenges being faced by CEOs and BODs in the formation and functioning of FPOs in their respective areas. He encouraged the participants to share their experiences and seek solutions from the expert faculty of MANAGE. He further highlighted the need to empower small and marginal farmers, enhance farm landholdings, promote biodiversity, soil and natural resource conservation, and ethical agricultural practices. He also advocated the promotion of local agricultural products to strengthen rural economies.

Speaking on the occasion, the Director underscored the importance of such training initiatives in reforming and strengthening the farming community. He stated that capacity building of CEOs and BODs will play a pivotal role in enhancing the Market-driven strategies of FPOs. Sharing his personal experiences with FPOs, he motivated participants to adopt proactive leadership roles and stressed the importance of educating and engaging farmers effectively to realize the true potential of FPOs in J&K.

Dr. S.K. Gupta appreciated the collaborative efforts under HADP and stated that such capacity-building programmes will build a strong foundation for farmer-centric institutional development. He encouraged the participants to absorb knowledge from resource experts and implement practical solutions in their respective organizations.

During the five-day programme, experts from MANAGE, Hyderabad will conduct training sessions on key topics including: FPO registration procedures, institutional systems and policies, features of successful FPOs, principles of collective action, business model development and market scanning. The programme aims to equip CEOs and BODs with practical skills and insights for efficient FPO management and growth. The programme is being attended by representatives of various FPOs from across Jammu and Kashmir.