Women farmers sustain world, work harder than male counterparts: LG

• By RK News
• Comments 0
• 17 Apr 2026

Calls for prioritising them in every scheme Urges tech innovators to develop technical tools

Srinagar, Apr 16: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday declared that without women farmers, every plate would be empty, leaving humanity starved.

"Women farmers sustain the world, work harder than their male counterparts, and their strength anchors food security, planting seeds of prosperity for families and society in every field. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, women's empowerment is the top priority across all sectors," the LG said in his address at the Women Farmers Conference organised by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) at Srinagar.

The Lieutenant Governor said the global food system rests on women's labour, yet it excludes them from prosperity. He urged every cooperative and government stakeholder to ask what challenge or barrier in women farmers' lives can be eliminated immediately. "By removing them one by one, we can honour their leadership and enrich society and the nation through direct market access," he said.

Sinha said that the UN General Assembly has fittingly declared 2026 the International Year of Women Farmers, which was a long-awaited dream. "I view International Women Farmers Year 2026 as a historic opportunity, proclaiming women as creators, not mere labourers, in agriculture's growth. Prioritise women farmers in every scheme. I trust 2026 will sincerely recognise women's roles in agriculture and allied sectors, fulfilling their aspirations," he said.

Calling upon technology innovators to prioritise technical tools for women farmers, he said that agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and dairy departments must allocate resources to women farmers, while financial institutions design loan products enabling landless women farmers to access credit in their names.

"We must reinvigorate society with the resolve for women-led development in Jammu and Kashmir, enabling women's power to transform it. Significant strides in women's empowerment since 2020 have set a national example, and our women farmers' empowerment project exemplifies this success," Sinha said.

The LG exhorted stakeholders to grant women farmers and entrepreneurs recognition, resources, and agency to work on their terms. "Empowered women farmers are bearers of climate resilience, building robust agri-ecosystems with quality seeds, digital tools, and market linkages from cooperatives," he added.

The Lieutenant Governor said that through the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP), Jammu and Kashmir has registered 14,782 women farmers. He added that PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has over 90,000 women beneficiaries, and across agriculture and allied sectors, nearly 3,11,000 women are registered. "I recognise millions more unregistered women farmers; I urge them to join central schemes," he said.

Sinha urged IFFCO to establish a farmers' training centre, multi-facility farmers service centre, and sheep production unit in J&K, along with the provision of mobile soil testing machines to support local farmers.

He announced that the mass movement for 'Drug Free Jammu Kashmir' for the Kashmir Division will be launched from Srinagar on May 3, 2026, calling upon women, youth, and all sections of society to actively participate in this movement to eradicate the drug menace from the Union Territory.

On the occasion, LG Sinha felicitated women agri-entrepreneurs and visited stalls put up by IFFCO and various agri-entrepreneurs.

The conference was attended by Minister for Agriculture Production Javid Ahmad Dar, IFFCO Chairman Dileep Singhani, IFFCO Managing Director K.J. Patel, IFFCO Marketing Director Yogender Kumar, Director Agriculture Kashmir Sartaj Ahmad Shah, women farmers and agri-entrepreneurs, members of women self-help groups, women delegates, MLA Chenani Balwant Singh Mankotia, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo, SSP Srinagar Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy, senior officials, and agriculture experts.