Shopian: Asmat Jan, 21 year girl from Borihallan Payeen village in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, is transforming potato farming in her locality.
Asmat, a recent graduate from Government Degree College Shopian, has played a pivotal role in mobilizing local women to form the Potato Women Producers Group, significantly improving their farming and marketing strategies.
Talking to Rising Kashmir, Asmat shared her journey of how she was inspired to take up this initiative.
She highlighted that Hirpora, a neighbouring village along the Mughal Road, is well known for its high-quality potato production.
However, women potato cultivators from her locality often struggled to market their produce and relied on traditional selling methods.
Determined to make a change, Asmat, who had undergone training under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), brought together 25 women from Borihallan.
She motivated them to form a producer group to collectively market Hirpora potatoes more efficiently.
With support from the government through NRLM, the group has been running successfully for the past three years.
Asmat, who serves as the coordinator of the group, explained that each member contributes their produce, which is then marketed through different platforms, ensuring better prices and higher profits. “Earlier, women farmers faced difficulties in selling their potatoes, but now we have a structured system that benefits everyone,” she said.
The initiative has been so successful that the group is now planning to expand into potato processing under the Integrated Farming Cluster (IFC) program. This year, they aim to set up a processing unit involving around 250 women. The unit will manufacture various potato-based products such as chips, springs rolls, fries, and fritters.
“We have received some equipment, and the rest is on the way. Soon, we will have our own brand for Hirpora potatoes,” Asmat said with confidence.
District Programme Manager NRLM Shopian, Arsheed Ahmad Bhat, said that the success of the Potato Women Producers Group extends far beyond agricultural productivity.
“ It represents a powerful victory over gender norms and societal constraints, empowering women to break free from traditional roles and take control of their economic future,” he said, adding that through collective effort and innovation, these women have transformed potato farming into a source of financial independence.
