Decks cleared for USD 100 million support by IFAD in J-K: Govt

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 28 : The Jammu and Kashmir administration has cleared the decks for USD 100 million in support by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the implementation of "competitiveness improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP)", according to an official statement.
The project shall contribute to the sustained increase in incomes of rural households by improving pre-production, production and post-production verticals of agriculture. The project objective is to improve the competitiveness of the farmers through a value chain approach with emphasis on the export of high-value agricultural commodities and the development of business incubation centres and start-up support, it said.
Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (JKCIP) comprises four components which inter alia include value chain support with an export focus, incubation and start-up support, support to vulnerable communities and project management. The project implementation would spread over seven years (2023-2030) across all districts of J&K, the press statement further said.
"The project will have a number of positive outcomes which will further complement the growth of agriculture & allied sectors in J&K, including export promotion of potential agricultural commodities and GGAP practices that would encourage export promotion like GI tagging, promotion of niche crops, certifications, quality control, laboratory/logistic support, branding facilities, marketing platforms and development of an organized value chain", said Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department.
"The project will also support activities focusing on tribal and other vulnerable communities which inhabit some of the most vulnerable landscapes such as hillsides, rangelands, semi-arid and arid lands and rely on climate-sensitive natural resources to make a living. IFAD shall promote environmentally sustainable and climate resilient agricultural practices for them", he added.
Implementation of JKCIP is a part of the government's larger efforts to look beyond the objectives of the Holistic Agricultural Development Plan (HADP) to capture the opportunities in global trade by tapping the competitive advantage of J&K viz., agro-climatic diversity, a monopoly in the production of default organic crops (walnut, almond, cherries), year-round vegetable production, niche crop advantage & pristine climate which catalyzes the opportunity to export high-value agricultural commodities.
Besides provisions of HADP, concerted measures shall be implemented through JKCIP to create an enabling environment to reform agricultural sectors and better price realization.
APD in collaboration with the Apex Committee under the chairmanship of Dr Mangla Rai has prepared an export promotion plan which is scheduled for ratification with the Apex Committee during 1-3 March, 2023 at SKUAST-Jammu. The plan after ratification shall construe an integral part of the IFAD project, the release said.
The project shall also encourage complementarily and convergence with the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan through the identification of common activities for financing with a focus on the augmentation of the livelihood of tribal and other vulnerable communities.
Another major goal of the IFAD project is to establish incubation centres to undertake the skilling of more than 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs targeted under HADP projects, besides giving adequate focus on the extension of support for training of trainers, demonstration setups, entrepreneurship development and facilitating a partnership with research institutions like ICAR, NFDB, NDDB. It shall also enable &foster the establishment of Agri start-ups.
The project includes a range of interventions to support the commercialization & sustainability of agriculture through the promotion of 300 new agri-tech start-ups, the establishment of 60 vegetable, 117 Aromatic/ Red rice, Guchi, Kashmiri Chilli, saffron and medicinal plant production clusters beside the establishment of 20 vegetable seed, 20 potato seed and 40 oil and pulse seed clusters.
The project aims to create 6 mini-Centers of Excellence with 24 satellite centers for niche agri products and 4 mini-Centers of Excellence for fruit and nut crops besides establishing three Export Hubs and 2 Business incubation centers.
Additionally, it aims to establish 60,000 integrated farming models for fringe and nomadic communities and establishment of 200 horticultural nurseries. The project would also undertake GI tagging, aggregation, processing and marketing of at least 6 agriculture and minor forest produce.