J&K’s HADP to increase sectoral growth rate to 11%: Union Minister

Srinagar, Dec 24: The rollout of the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) of Rs 5,013.00 crore for 29 project proposals of agriculture and allied sector in J&K is expected to increase the sectoral growth rate to 11 percent aimed to create employment and establish enterprises.
Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Arjun Munda in a written reply in Lok Sabha said that J&K‘s HADP is expected to increase the sectoral growth rate to 11% and the intervention is expected to create employment opportunities and also establish enterprises.
Speaking about horticulture the minister said more than 2,900 hectares area has been covered under high-density plantations. It will substantially increase the income of apple growers besides providing suitable market and air transportation to identified perishables under ‘PARVAZ’, he said.
Horticulture officials said J&K has been striving to improve this sector through various initiatives to introduce new technologies and improve the quality of planting material.
One of the key programmes is the promotion of High-Density Plantation (HDP) systems, which has the potential to increase productivity and income in fruit crops like apples, walnuts, etc by more than twice the current levels.
“The APD is also implementing a new project on HD fruit production with the aim to develop 390 hectares of nurseries in public and private sectors, rejuvenate 2,000 hectares of orchard areas, and produce planting material to cover 5,500 hectares under HDP of 12 fruit crops,” the horticulture officials said.
Talking about the progress of the agriculture sector in the Union Territory, the Union Minister said that the number of beneficiaries has increased from 7.50 lakh to close to 12.83 lakh under the Kisan Credit Card.
“PM Kisan saturated to eligible farmers of J&K – 2,517.08 crore credited directly into bank accounts of eligible farmers,” he said.
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said that 12 niche crops have been identified for GI tagging & their export to the other parts of the country.
“Kashmiri saffron, the heritage crop of Kashmir, got GI Tagging for its uniqueness, which is being promoted on national and international platforms. Saffron Park has been established at Dusoo Pampore as a one-stop centre for saffron-related linkages,” he said, adding that 2 lakh MT of cold storage has been established, to ensure better remuneration to growers.