Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Thursday said that the government was committed to create new avenues for the farmers and young entrepreneurs.
Addressing the World Milk Day celebration event and summer meet for the animal husbandry and dairy sector, the LG while speaking about the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) said the J&K government was committed to create new avenues for the farmers and youth entrepreneurs.
He said that the J&K government’s aim is to write a new chapter in the history of animal husbandry, agriculture, and allied sector of Jammu Kashmir.
“Under the HADP, the J&K government is launching an Integrated Dairy Development scheme that will not only provide a social safety net to the farmers but also provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to the people,” Sinha said.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Parshottam Rupala for their continuous support for the development of agriculture and allied sector in J&K and also for including J&K in the pilot launch of the National Digital Livestock Mission.
The LG said that the celebration of World Milk Day in J&K was a significant opportunity to acknowledge the important contribution of dairy farmers, entrepreneurs and all stakeholders in the growth journey of the dairy industry.
“Exchange of ideas during the two-day long summer meet will help in identifying new viable strategies for upgrading the technological capabilities of livestock sector, significant interventions for dairy sector’s productivity, processing and value addition,” he said.
Sinha shared the efforts of the J&K government for creating new opportunities and introducing interventions to make animal husbandry and dairy sector more lucrative for all the stakeholders.
“Dairy makes an important contribution to the prosperity of the society and to the wellbeing and economic activity of the farming families. The J&K government attaches the highest importance to sustained increase in productivity and growth of the dairy sector,” he said.
The LG highlighted the contribution of dairy sector in giving impetus to the rural economy and providing livelihood to a large population associated with the sector.
“Dairy sector continues to play a vital role in agriculture GDP and such deliberations will play a pivotal role in energising research and extension efforts and modifications required for livestock management and productivity enhancements,” he said.
Sinha said that J&K was strengthening its ties with other countries and states to transform the livestock and dairy sector and to improve farmers’ remuneration.
“We are taking reformative measures to unlock the huge untapped potential of animal husbandry, agriculture, and allied sector,” he said.
The LG said that fodder production, improving wool quality, and addressing issues like inbreeding were other focus areas of the government.