Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Surinder Kumar Choudhary, today held a detailed discussion with a delegation of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) led by its National Spokesperson, Ch. Rakesh Tikait, regarding various issues concerning the farming community across Jammu and Kashmir.
The delegation called on the Deputy Chief Minister at the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, and submitted a memorandum highlighting several key demands aimed at protecting and strengthening the agricultural, horticultural and allied sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
During the interaction, the Deputy Chief Minister reiterated the government’s commitment towards ensuring sustainable agricultural growth, enhancing farmers’ incomes and promoting holistic rural development across Jammu and Kashmir. He gave a patient hearing to the concerns raised by the delegation and assured them that all genuine demands would be examined on priority and taken up with the concerned departments for appropriate action.
Emphasizing the need for stronger institutional support for the farming community, the Deputy Chief Minister called for establishment of Kisan Bhawans in both Srinagar and Jammu to facilitate greater engagement with the farmers and provide an effective platform for addressing their grievances and concerns.
Highlighting the importance of the horticulture sector to Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, he also advocated for introduction of special air-conditioned railway bogies for transportation and export of apples and other perishable produce, ensuring timely and safe access to markets across the country.
The Deputy Chief Minister observed that Jammu and Kashmir possesses immense potential for organic farming and urged the farmers to adopt pesticide-free cultivation practices to enhance the quality, marketability and value of local produce. The meeting also discussed issues related to imports affecting the local produce, tariff-related concerns, market linkages, transportation bottlenecks and other challenges faced by the farmers and horticulturists.
The memorandum submitted by the BKU sought protection for domestic horticulture through higher import duties on foreign agricultural and horticultural products, particularly apples and other fruits, to safeguard the interests of local growers. The delegation also demanded enhanced subsidies of up to 90 percent for anti-hail nets to protect orchards from natural calamities.
Among other demands, the BKU urged the government to facilitate dedicated refrigerated railway bogies for transportation of fresh fruits and other perishable commodities, expand modern cold storage infrastructure across major horticultural zones and formulate a comprehensive policy for subsidized fodder and feed support to dairy and poultry farmers.
The delegation further called for transparent and proactive implementation of subsidy schemes, establishment of fruit processing and canning units for value addition of apples and other fruits, strengthening of crop insurance coverage and effective measures to address increasing human-wildlife conflict resulting in crop losses.
The BKU delegation included Yudhvir Singh, General Secretary; Dharamvir Singh, Secretary; Subash Chowdhary and representatives from various districts of Kashmir.